Advanced Medical Practice Management – Notice of Data Privacy Event

Advanced Medical Practice Management (“AMPM”) provides notice of data events.

AMPM is a third-party medical billing administrator that provides billing services to certain healthcare providers. This notice provides information about the incident, AMPM’s response, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information from possible misuse, should they feel it appropriate to do so. AMPM is providing this notice on behalf of Pain Relief Center of Southwest Florida.

On August 5, 2021, AMPM discovered suspicious activity associated with certain files within its environment. AMPM quickly took steps to secure the network, and began an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity. AMPM’s investigation subsequently determined that an unauthorized actor acquired certain files from its environment between July 11, 2021, and July 13, 2021. Given that these certain files were accessed without authorization, AMPM then began a comprehensive review of the files to determine the information potentially impacted by this incident and to whom the information related for purposes of notification. Upon completion of this review, AMPM then worked diligently to reconcile this information with its internal records to confirm the individuals whose information may have been affected and the appropriate contact information for those individuals. AMPM completed this review on January 27, 2022, and thereafter worked to provide notification to organizations whose patients were potentially impacted in order to obtain necessary information and approval, and thereafter began notifying potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible. The investigation determined that the following information may be impacted name, Social Security number, driver’s license number or state identification card number, other government identification number, payment card number, financial account information, medical information, and health insurance number.

AMPM treats its responsibility to safeguard information in its possession as an utmost priority. As such, AMPM responded quickly to this event and have been working diligently to provide an accurate and complete notice of the incident. AMPM’s response to this event also included prompt reporting to federal law enforcement. Further, as part of AMPM’s ongoing commitment to the privacy and security of personal information in its care, AMPM is reviewing and enhancing its existing policies and procedures relating to data protection and security. AMPM also instituted additional security measures, as well as provided additional training to employees, to mitigate any risk associated with this incident and to better protect against future incidents. AMPM is also notifying relevant state and federal regulators, as required.

AMPM has established a dedicated call center at 855-482-1557, which is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday for any questions individuals may have regarding this event.

AMPM encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors.

Also Read: Three Steps CISOs Can Take to Strengthen Supply Chain Cybersecurity

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For more such updates follow us on Google News ITsecuritywire News. Please subscribe to our Newsletter for more updates.