Austin Manual Therapy Associates

From October 3 - 9, 2017, an unauthorized individual accessed one of the covered entity’s (CE’s) laptop computers and a shared file folder containing the protected health information (PHI) of 1,750 individuals. The types of PHI involved in the breach included, names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, diagnoses, treatment information, and claims information. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and the media. To address the breach, the CE disconnected the laptop from its network and updated all of its firewalls and access points. Additionally, the CE implemented a multifactor identification protocol for all of its workforce members and purchased an encrypted onsite firewall. The CE also developed a process to audit its information system to prevent unauthorized activity. OCR obtained assurances that the CE implemented the voluntary corrective action steps listed above.