Access TeleCare Notice of Data Security Event

March 8, 2024 (Updated on December 23, 2024)

Access TeleCare is providing notice of an incident that may have impacted the privacy of certain individuals’ information. Although Access TeleCare has no indication of fraudulent misuse of any personal information, we are providing information about the incident, our response, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they decide to do so.

What Happened? On January 8, 2024, Access TeleCare discovered suspicious activity in our email environment. In response, we promptly took steps to secure our email environment and initiated an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists. The investigation determined that between November 6, 2023 and January 8, 2024, certain email accounts may have been accessed and/or downloaded by an unauthorized party. Access TeleCare undertook a comprehensive and time-intensive review of the contents of the affected email accounts to identify protected health information, the individuals to whom that information relates, and address information to be used for notifying potentially impacted individuals. This review was recently completed.

What Information Was Involved? While we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this incident, our review determined that the following types of information were present in the affected email accounts: name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, financial account information, email/username with password, medical record number, patient account number or patient identification number, health insurance information, medical information, Medicare number, treatment information, clinical information, prescription information, provider location, and provider name. The specific type of information at issue varies per individual.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? Access TeleCare is mailing a notice letter to individuals whose information was determined to be contained within the affected email accounts and for whom we have a valid mailing address. If an individual does not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call our dedicated assistance line, detailed below.

What Access TeleCare Is Doing. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal information within Access TeleCare’s care is among our highest priorities. Upon discovering this incident, we promptly took steps to secure our email environment, perform a full investigation, and notify potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible. As part of our ongoing commitment to the privacy of information in our care, we have implemented additional security measures to further protect against similar incidents occurring in the future. We are also notifying appropriate government regulators, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What You Can Do. If you believe this incident may have impacted your personal information, Access TeleCare encourages you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for unusual activity and to detect errors. Individuals may contact the three major credit reporting agencies for advice on how to obtain free credit reports and how to place fraud alerts and security freezes on credit files. The relevant contact information is below.

For More Information. If you have additional questions or concerns, Access TeleCare established a dedicated assistance line at 1-833-799-4431 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. This excludes all major U.S. holidays.

Monitor Your Accounts

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 may need to provide the following information, depending on whether the request is made online, by phone, or by mail:

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 fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below: