What You Need to Know
Over 60,000 individuals had their personal identifiable information and protected health information compromised in a data breach at ConsensioHealth, LLC after an unauthorized party gained access on July 3, 2023, potentially exposing data such as names, drivers license numbers, health insurance, and medical details.
- Company Name: ConsensioHealth, LLC
- Date Filed: Unspecified
- Number of People Affected: Over 60,000
- Data Breached:
- Name
- Drivers license or other state ID number
- Account access credentials
- Health insurance information (e.g., Medicare or Medicaid number)
- Medical information (e.g., medical treatment and diagnosis information, medical treatment cost information, patient account number, healthcare provider information, prescription information)
Who’s Affected & What Data Was Breached
Number of Individuals Affected
Over 60,000 individuals have been impacted by the ConsensioHealth data breach.
Type of Data Breached
Sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information were involved in the breach. The compromised data includes names, drivers license or state ID numbers, account access credentials, health insurance information, and medical information. The medical information potentially exposed encompasses medical treatment and diagnosis, cost of medical treatment, patient account numbers, healthcare provider information, and prescription details.
Overview of the Data Breach
Initial Discovery
On November 7, 2023, ConsensioHealth, LLC, recognized as a provider of medical management services, uncovered a data breach within its systems. This realization prompted an immediate investigation into the extent and specifics of the incident.
Breach Timeline
The investigation revealed a significant lapse in security occurring months earlier. It was determined that an unauthorized actor accessed sensitive information on July 3, 2023. This gap between the intrusion and its discovery heightened concerns regarding the potential misuse of the compromised data.
Nature of Compromised Data
The data breach wasn’t limited to benign information but included a variety of sensitive details. Names, state-issued identification numbers, and account credentials were among the data potentially exposed. Moreover, health-related information such as insurance numbers, medical treatment and diagnosis details, cost information, account numbers, provider details, and prescription information were also at risk.
Breach Notification
After establishing the facts of the breach, ConsensioHealth embarked on the process of informing affected individuals. Notifying the over 60,000 potentially impacted people began recently, although the company has not specified the notification date.
Data Categories
To elaborate, the data accessed by the unauthorized entity could be broken down into several categories:
- Personal Identifiable Information: This included names and driver’s license numbers or other state ID numbers, which can be used for identity theft.
- Account Information: Access credentials to accounts could lead to unauthorized entry into private or sensitive services.
- Health Information: Insurance details, medical treatment, diagnosis data, and prescription info composed the health information potentially compromised, posing risks to privacy and health insurance fraud.
ConsensioHealth‘s Immediate Suggestions
While ConsensioHealth did not detail any specific internal response measures, it did offer guidance for affected individuals. It advised a series of protective steps including changing passwords and security questions, monitoring financial statements, reviewing credit reports, and considering placing a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
Protective Measures
The advised measures include both immediate and ongoing practices:
- Passwords and Security: Updating digital security details was the immediate call to action.
- Financial Vigilance: Individuals were advised to keep a close watch on their account activities for signs of fraud.
- Credit Monitoring: Reviewing credit reports regularly to catch any signs of identity theft early on was recommended.
- Fraud Alert: Contacting credit bureaus to place a fraud alert serves as a frontline defense
Understanding ConsensioHealth, LLC
ConsensioHealth, LLC is a medical management services company that operates out of Wisconsin. Established in 2014, the company has positioned itself as a supportive entity for medical practices needing assistance with the business side of healthcare.
Services Provided
ConsensioHealth offers comprehensive services for revenue cycle and practice management. These services include medical coding and claims management, which are integral parts of the healthcare billing process. Additionally, they provide practice data analytics to help medical practices understand their operations and identify areas for improvement.
Technology Platform
The company has developed a specialized technology platform known as SensER. This platform is designed to consolidate various practice data streams, such as electronic health records (EHR), billing, and scheduling. SensER enables the production of customizable reporting to support practice management and decision-making.
Clientele and Utilization
ConsensioHealth serves a customer base comprising medical practices that require assistance in streamlining their administrative tasks. Their clients rely on Consensio to optimize payor relations and reimbursement procedures, ensuring that these practices receive appropriate payment for services rendered to patients. The clientele uses Consensio’s services to focus more on patient care while reducing the administrative burden on medical professionals.
Financial and HR Services
In addition to healthcare-specific services, Consensio provides financial and accounting support. They offer human resources outsourcing, taking on burdensome tasks such as employee onboarding, benefits administration, and regulatory compliance. This allows healthcare practitioners to focus less on administrative details and more on clinical care.
Physician Education
Consensio also emphasizes the importance of educating physicians. They provide education services aimed at helping healthcare providers understand the ever-evolving landscape of medical billing and insurance requirements. This ensures that their clients are well-equipped to handle the business aspects of their practice efficiently.
Sensitivity to Information
As a company dealing with protected health information (PHI) and personal identifiable information (PII), Consensio upholds a responsibility to maintain confidentiality and protect the data of over 60,000 individuals. With the services provided to medical practices, Consensio becomes a custodian of sensitive information, which makes data security paramount for their operations and the trust of their client base.