A data breach at Parkland Health may have leaked sensitive personal and medical information for thousands of patients.
According to Oct. 22 filings with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, 6,523 Texans are affected by the breach, which includes names, dates of birth and sensitive medical information.
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Parkland, the public health system, operates 16 clinics in the region and the flagship Parkland Hospital in Dallas on Harry Hines Boulevard.
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Notices have not yet been sent to affected patients, according to the filings, though NBC5 reports that notices have indeed been sent.
“Parkland is still investigating the issue. We will be able to communicate more details once our investigations are concluded,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.
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Experian, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, writes that, in the event of a health data breach, you can check your credit reports and place fraud alerts or credit freezes on your accounts to prevent or warn you if anyone tries to open accounts in your name. You should also monitor medical financial accounts such as Healthcare Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts. They note that medical data is a major target for hackers because medical data, depending on how complete it is, can be one of the most valuable kinds of personal data traded on the dark web.
Data breach at Parkland Health in Dallas could affect 6,500 Texans
