Notice of Data Incident

Notice of Data Incident

February 25, 2022

Montrose Regional Health discovered unusual activity in an employee’s email account and immediately began an investigation, which included working with third-party specialists to determine the nature and scope of the activity. The investigation determined there was unauthorized access to certain employee email accounts between August 2, 2021 and October 26, 2021. The investigation was unable to confirm if specific information within the email accounts was accessed. Because we take the privacy of information seriously, we are providing notice of this incident in an abundance of caution.

On February 25, 2022, we determined that the email accounts may have contained certain patient information, including names and one or more of the following: inpatient/outpatient status, internal patient account number, service date, treatment cost, procedure code, provider name, and/or health insurance provider.

Upon discovering this incident, we reset account passwords and are reviewing our policies and procedures. To obtain more information about this incident, individuals can contact our dedicated assistance line at 877-621-2423, Monday through Friday (except U.S. holidays), from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. MST. Individuals may also write to us at 800 S. 3^rd Street, Montrose, CO 81401, ATTN Quality Department.

Although we have no evidence of misuse of information, we encourage potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.

Individuals have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. If individuals are a victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert lasting seven years. As an alternative to a fraud alert, they have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved without consent. Pursuant to federal law, individuals cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report.

Should individuals wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

TransUnion                           Experian                                Equifax

1-800-680-7289                      1-888-397-3742                      1-888-298-0045

transunion.com                       experian.com                          equifax.com

P.O. Box 2000                        P.O. Box 9554                        P.O. Box 105069

Chester, PA 19016                  Allen, TX 75013                     Atlanta, GA 30348

Individuals can further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps to protect their personal information by contacting the credit reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or their state Attorney General. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. The FTC may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement, the state Attorney General, and the FTC.