Franklin, Tenn.-based SouthEast Eye Specialists Group began notifying 13,000 patients that their protected health information may have been exposed in a data breach.
In November, officials discovered that an employee's email had been accessed by an unknown, unauthorized third party. Immediately, SEES Group secured the email account and began investigating the incident with computer forensic experts.
Patient data that may have been exposed included Social Security numbers and treatment information. There is no evidence that patient information has been misused. Additionally, SEES Group is unaware if the data was actually accessed or viewed from the compromised email account.
"While there is no indication that an unauthorized party accessed or viewed patient information or evidence of patient information being misused, SEES Group remains committed to protecting patients' information and has taken steps to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future, including reviewing and revising its information security policies and procedures," said SEES Group in a news release.