NOTICE: Health First Customers to Be Notified of Unauthorized Access Incident
By Space Coast Daily // September 20, 2023
BREVARD COUNTY • ROCKLEDGE, FLORIDA – Health First has confirmed that protected patient health information has been affected in an unauthorized access to a Health First email account that occurred on July 24, 2023.
The unauthorized access lasted for approximately 2 hours before it was terminated by the Health First Information Security Department. Based on a Health First internal investigation, it was determined that some of the emails or attachments included in the email account included patient protected health information.
None of the information left Health First Systems and none of Health First Electronic Medical Records systems were affected. Those affected have been notified of the breach.
About 14,171 Health First patients were affected, and some PHI may have been viewed, including name, date of birth, medical records number, account number, social security number, phone number, address, insurance information, diagnosis, date and type of service received.
Once the unauthorized access was identified, Health First Information Security Department took appropriate actions to terminate the access, disable the account, and investigate the matter. In addition, Health First engaged a third-party forensics vendor to confirm Health First investigation findings. Health First leaders also initiated a review of the circumstances that led to the unauthorized access and took actions to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
For more information, patients may contact Health First’s media relations at mediarelations@hf.org.
