RE: NorthStar Anesthesia, Notice of Data Privacy Event

IRVING, Texas, July 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Between May 23 and 24, 2018, NorthStar learned of an email phishing campaign that resulted in the compromise of certain employees' email credentials.  NorthStar immediately took steps to respond and commenced an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident, as well as determine what information may be affected.  The investigation included working with third party forensic investigators.  Through the investigation, NorthStar determined that an unauthorized actor(s) gained access to certain employee email accounts between April 3 and May 24, 2018.  The investigation also determined that the emails affected by this incident contained personal information.  While the information potentially affected varies by individual, NorthStar's investigation determined that the information that may have been affected includes name, date of birth, health insurance application or claims information, health insurance policy or subscriber number, health information, IRS identity protection number, taxpayer identification number, medical history information, treatment and diagnosis information, and medical record number.  For certain individuals, this incident may have also affected Social Security number. 

The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care is one of our highest priorities.  Upon learning the email phishing event, we commenced an investigation to confirm the nature and scope of the incident and identify any individuals who may be affected.  We have been working, with the assistance of third party forensic investigators, to identify and notify potentially impacted individuals.  While we have security measures in place to protect information in our care, we are also implementing additional safeguards to protect the security of information.

NorthStar is mailing notice letters to individuals who may have been affected by this incident and is offering potentially impacted individuals access to credit monitoring and identity restoration services for two (2) years at no cost.  NorthStar is also encouraging potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor credit reports and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity.  NorthStar's notification to potentially impacted individuals includes information on obtaining a free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, calling 877-322-8228, or contacting the three major credit bureaus directly at: Equifax, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA, 30348, 800-525-6285, www.equifax.com; Experian, P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, 888-397-3742, www.experian.com; TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, 800-680-7289, www.transunion.com. Potentially impacted individuals may also find information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes and the steps they may take to protect their information by contacting the credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission or their state Attorney General.  The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.  Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement or the individual's state Attorney General.  NorthStar has provided notice of this incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as required state regulators. 

NorthStar has set up a dedicated assistance line to answer questions regarding this incident. The dedicated assistance line may be reached at (888) 685-7768 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 7 am - 7 pm Central Time.

SOURCE NorthStar Anesthesia