OS, Inc. Data Security Issue
Recently a data security issue occurred with a vendor of Spectrum Health Lakeland. While we have no reason to believe that your information was viewed by others or otherwise misused because of this issue, the privacy and security of your information is our priority so we are sharing the details with you. If your information is involved in this situation, you will receive a letter from us in the next seven to 10 days.
OS, Inc. is a company that is used by many health care organizations, including Spectrum Health Lakeland, to send printed materials to patients. On December 21, 2018, OS, Inc. learned of suspicious activity within a single employee’s email account. OS, Inc. was able to confirm that an unauthorized individual had accessed the email system through the internet and then gained access to this particular employee account.
Upon discovery, OS, Inc. quickly engaged a third-party security expert to help investigate the incident. We were notified of the problem on March 8, 2019 because the affected employee account contained emails from Spectrum Health Lakeland. As soon as we were notified, we began our own investigation into this security incident.
The information in the affected OS, Inc. email account included patient name, demographic information, insurance information, date of service, and may have included limited medical information such as diagnosis, diagnosis codes and other demographic information. This did not include any financial information about you or your Social Security or driver’s license numbers.
To help protect your information and your identity, Spectrum Health Lakeland is offering all affected patients a complimentary one-year membership for Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM. This product provides identity detection and resolution of identity theft.
We also recommend that you regularly review all account statements and periodically obtain a credit report from one or more of the national credit reporting companies. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228.
We know this incident is disappointing to you. It is incredibly disappointing to us, too. We know you place your trust in us and we work diligently every day to keep that trust. Given the nature of cyberattacks today, we continuously work with all of our vendors to help ensure that when they are performing services for Spectrum Health Lakeland, they are also keeping your information safe and secure.
We are sorry for any concern or inconvenience this may cause you. We are honored to serve your health care needs, and look forward to continuing to be your provider of choice. If you have questions, and would like to speak with us, please contact us at 877-890-2045.
Wolverine Data Security Issue
Recently a data security issue occurred with a vendor of Spectrum Health Lakeland. While we have no reason to believe that your information was viewed by others or otherwise misused because of this issue, the privacy and security of your information is our priority so we are sharing the details with you. If your information is involved in this situation, you will receive a letter from us in the next seven to 10 days.
Wolverine Services Group (WSG) is a company that is used by many health care organizations, including Spectrum Health Lakeland, to send printed materials to patients. In September 2018, WSG experienced a ransomware cyberattack. It caused the information in WSG’s electronic systems to be encrypted. When information is encrypted, it cannot be used. Criminals use ransomware as a way to get companies to pay money to regain access to their information.
WSG engaged a third-party security expert to help investigate and return WSG’s information systems to normal. This process took several months to complete, and we were notified of the problem on December 17, 2018. WSG’s expert could not find evidence that Spectrum Health Lakeland patient information was removed from its system as a result of the attack. However, WSG also told us that they cannot be 100 percent sure that patient information was not affected. Therefore, we have reported the incident to regulators as a data breach and will be sending a letter to all patients whose information may have been a part of this cyberattack.
WSG prints and sends billing statements to our patients. The information found in a billing statement usually includes patient name, address, type of health care service(s) provided by Spectrum Health Lakeland, date(s) of those services, name or type of health insurance, and the amount(s) due on the patient account. Social Security numbers or other sensitive financial information may have been included.
To help protect your information, WSG has arranged for you to have AllClear ID services at no charge. These protections can be used any time during the next twelve (12) months.
- AllClear Identity Repair: This service is automatically available to you with no enrollment required. If a problem arises, simply call 1-877-412-7144 and a dedicated investigator will help recover financial losses, restore your credit and make sure your identity is returned to its proper condition.
- AllClear Fraud Alerts with Credit Monitoring: This service offers the ability to set, renew, and remove 1-year fraud alerts on your credit file to help protect you from credit fraud. In addition, it provides credit monitoring services, a once annual credit score and credit report, and a $1 million identity theft insurance policy. To enroll in this service, you will need to provide your personal information to AllClear ID. Once you receive your letter, you may sign up online at enroll.allclearid.com using the redemption code enclosed in the letter.
Please note: Following enrollment, additional steps are required by you in order to activate your phone alerts and fraud alerts, and to pull your credit score and credit file. Additional steps may also be required in order to activate your monitoring options.
We also recommend that affected patients regularly review all account statements and periodically obtain a credit report from one or more of the national credit reporting companies. They may obtain a free copy of their credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228.
We know this incident is disappointing to our patients. It is incredibly disappointing to us, too. We know our patients place their trust in us and we work diligently every day to keep that trust. Given the nature of cyberattacks today, we continuously work with all of our vendors to help ensure that when they are performing services for Spectrum Health Lakeland, they are also keeping all patient information safe and secure.
We are sorry for any concern or inconvenience this may cause. We are honored to serve our community’s health care needs and look forward to continuing that relationship. If you have additional questions or concerns about identity protection services, please contact AllClear at 1-877-412-7144.