Georgia Healthcare Provider Suffers Breach Affecting 79,000 Individuals

In a security notice posted on its website, Gore Medical Management said it was the victim of a data breach when an unknown hacker stole files containing personal information of patients in 2017.

A version of this article was first published March 2, 2021, by HCPro's Revenue Cycle Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.

Gore Medical Management LLC, a healthcare provider based out of Griffin, Georgia, reported a breach last month that impacted 79,100 individuals, according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.

In a security notice posted on its website, Gore Medical Management said it was the victim of a data breach when an unknown hacker stole files containing personal information of patients in 2017. Gore Medical Management became aware of the incident in November 2020 when the FBI informed the organization that it had found files on a third-party computer that was not affiliated with Gore Medical Management.

Gore Medical Management then launched an investigation and determined that that pathway used by the cybercriminal was found and eliminated during a routine IT checkup in the months after the breach. The organization said the hacker did not access its medical records database. The stolen information included the following:

• Addresses

• Dates of birth

• Patient names

• Social Security numbers

The stolen files did not contain healthcare or financial records, according to Gore Medical Management.

As a precaution, the organization is offering one year of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring to affected individuals. Gore Medical Management also mailed notification letters to affected individuals or their guardians.