Doctors Hospital affected by data breach, HCA confirms

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - HCA confirmed that Doctors Hospital of Augusta is one of its facilities where patient data was exposed, but the company says no financial information was stolen in the breach.

The company said it believes a breach has compromised the information of about 11 million patients.

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The Nashville-based health care operator said it discovered the breach July 5, which affects patients at facilities in 20 states, including Georgia and South Carolina.

The company posted a list of affected facilities, which included Doctors Hospital, which HCA owns. Also affected are several Doctors Specialists practices, including bariatrics and surgical, cardiology, cardiothoracic, gastroenterology, neurosurgery, surgical and trauma, and urology and Pelvic Health.

The South Carolina facilities were mostly along the coast.

The company said it discovered that a list of certain information with respect to some of its patients was made available by an unknown and unauthorized party on an online forum. The list includes:

Patient name, city, state and ZIP code.
Patient email, telephone number, date of birth and gender.
Patient service date, location and next appointment date.

HCA Healthcare has confirmed that the list contains information used for email messages, such as reminders that patients may wish to schedule an appointment and education on healthcare programs and services.

The list does not include:

Clinical information, such as treatment, diagnosis, or condition.
Payment information, such as credit card or numbers.
Sensitive information, such as s, driver’s license or social security numbers.

Patients who get suspicious or potentially fraudulent communications, such as invoices or payment reminders, should 844-608-1803 to confirm the legitimacy of the message.

In response to the breach, HCA Healthcare said it has blocked access to the storage location that was suspected to have been compromised and is working to patients to provide and additional information. It said it plans to offer credit monitoring and identity protection services as necessary.

It has also created a dedicated web page to keep its patients informed.

The breach isn’t expected to disrupt the company’s day-to-day operations, HCA Healthcare said.