In January 2024, Bay Oral Surgery & Implant Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin experienced a data breach when an unauthorized person gained access to an employee’s email account and viewed protected health information. The breach occurred on January 18th and was caused by a software glitch that allowed the attacker to access the account containing patient information such as social security numbers, insurance and credit card numbers, banking account information, and various forms related to patient health histories.
To address the breach, Bay Oral has taken several steps to enhance its security measures. The center has changed its IT companies, implemented new policies and procedures to ensure patient health information is not stored in emails, and increased protections against hackers and unauthorized access. However, it is unclear what specific information was accessed by the unauthorized person.
In response to the incident, Bay Oral has sent out over 10,000 notification letters to patients on February 27th to inform them of the privacy incident confirmed on that date. The center is advising all patients to remain vigilant and monitor for any signs of fraud or identity theft. If any suspected fraudulent activity is detected, patients should report it to financial institutions immediately. Incidents of identity theft should be reported to law enforcement agencies such as the Wisconsin Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission.
For questions regarding this incident, patients can call a toll-free number established by Bay Oral: 1-800-360-0471. The helpline is available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday (Copyright ©2024 WBAY).
