Burrell Behavioral Health in Springfield, Mo., is notifying patients of a potential data breach after an unauthorized party gained access to an employee's email account.
An investigation into the incident indicates the unauthorized access occurred from July 6 to July 7, 2016. The health system said it his no evidence the hackers accessed or acquired protected health information from the email account, but could not rule out the possibility.
Information accessible in the employee's email account includes certain clients' names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, physician names, diagnoses, disability codes, health insurance numbers, treatments, treatment locations and medical record numbers. The type of information at risk varies for individuals, according to the notification.
According to HHS' Office for Civil Rights breach notification portal, the cyberattack affects 7,748 individuals.
Burrell Behavioral Health said it took counter measures following the attack and has established a dedicated assistance line for anyone seeking information about the incident.
"We take any threat to the security of information entrusted to us very seriously," said Todd Schaible, PhD, president and CEO of Burrell Behavioral Health. "We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause our community."
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