19,150 Medicaid Members Impacted by Disability Rights Wisconsin Data Breach
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has submitted a breach report involving the potential exposure of the protected health information (PHI) of approximately 19,150 Medicaid members. The breach happened at Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), its partner organization. DRW helps people with disabilities in Wisconsin get access to healthcare services and legal expertise. As a third-party vendor, DRW is given patient information to carry out its goals and projects.
DRW discovered an unauthorized third party acquired access to the email account of an employee after noticing suspicious activity in the DRW email account. The date when the breach occurred or was discovered is not clear from the breach announcement. DHS and DRW are still investigating the incident and will address any problems as soon as possible.
DRW sent notification letters to the impacted Wisconsin Medicaid members on June 21, 2024, and they were informed about their compromised information. Free credit monitoring services were provided to the impacted persons for one year. Individuals who have questions and want to know more about the incident can contact the dedicated helpline 888-733-3814 starting June 24, 2024. Support is available through the call center from Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Time.
As Medicaid members, eligible patients get health coverage from the United State’s health program. Most of the Medicaid beneficiaries are from the low-income group and would likely be vulnerable in case of a data breach. Aside from suffering stress and anxiety, they are often less capable of handling the consequences of compromised protected health information, stolen identities, or financial fraud.
Covered entities should very well know the importance of HIPAA and protecting the data privacy of individuals. Thus, healthcare service providers must have the proper safeguards in compliance with HIPAA rules. Alerting the impacted individuals promptly can help them prepare and avoid the problems associated with data breaches.