Law firm Thompson Coburn says data breach impacted over 300,000 Presbyterian Healthcare patients

St. Louis-based law firm Thompson Coburn said that the data security incident it suffered earlier this year compromised the sensitive personal information of more than 300,000 Presbyterian Healthcare patients.

 

In a data security incident notice posted on its website, Thompson Coburn, which provides legal services to Presbyterian Healthcare Services, said that on May 29, it detected suspicious activity in its internal network.

 

The law firm immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“The investigation determined that certain files stored within our environment were viewed or taken by an unauthorised actor between May 28, 2024, and May 29, 2024. A detailed review of the affected files was undertaken and through that review, we determined that certain protected health information related to certain patients of PHS was contained within those files,” reads the notice.

 

The compromised data included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, prescription/treatment information, clinical information, medical provider information, and health insurance information.

 

In its filing with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS), Thompson Coburn said that it has identified at least 305,088 individuals who were impacted by the cyber security incident.

 

“Upon becoming aware of this incident, Thompson Coburn promptly took steps to investigate the incident and implemented additional security enhancements to further protect against similar incidents,” the company added.

 

While the law firm found no evidence of the compromised information being misused, it advised all affected individuals to regularly monitor their credit reports, account and benefit statements and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities. It has also offered complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to all affected individuals.