Great Expressions Dental Centers

Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), a multi-practice dental care provider with over 300 practices across 9 states, experienced a significant data breach between February 17 and February 22, 2023. The breach involved unauthorized access to sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information of an undetermined number of individuals. The compromised data includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card numbers, medical information (such as diagnosis and treatment information, medical and dental history, treatment plans, x-ray images), and health insurance information[1].

GEDC began notifying affected individuals on May 12, 2023, and has recommended steps for those impacted to protect their personal information, such as enrolling in free credit monitoring services provided by GEDC, changing passwords and security questions for online accounts, regularly reviewing account statements and credit reports for signs of fraud or unauthorized activity, and contacting credit bureaus to request a temporary fraud alert[1].

The breach has led to legal actions, including a class action lawsuit filed in Michigan Eastern District Court against ADG LLC, doing business as Great Expressions Dental Care[7], and a case filed by Jacqueline Williams against GEDC, which has been consolidated with other related cases[3]. The network of dental practices has urged a Michigan federal judge to dismiss a suit alleging it didn’t keep patients’ and employees’ information secure, arguing that the plaintiffs were not injured by the data breach[9].

This incident is part of a growing trend of cyberattacks targeting healthcare providers, underscoring the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive patient information.

Citations:

1. https://www.turkestrauss.com/2023/05/23/great-expressions-dental-centers-data-breach-investigation/
2. https://www.deltadentalva.com
3. https://dockets.justia.com/docket/michigan/miedce/2:2023cv11386/370374
4. https://www.northwestern.edu
5. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/gedc-ga-ra-cap/index.html
6. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-truth-about-jim-great-photo-lovely-life-crime-documentaries_n_65c65c57e4b0fb721d60f584
7. https://www.law.com/radar/card/brito-v-adg-llc-d-b-a-great-expressions-dental-center-48908600-0/
8. https://www.nwahomepage.com/sports/pig-trail-nation/former-arkansas-trainer-dean-weber-passes-away/
9. https://www.law360.com/articles/1731176/network-says-patients-employees-not-injured-by-data-breach
10. https://www.invisalign.com
11. https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/dso-s-computer-systems-hacked-1393738/
12. https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/valentines-day-how-much-is-a-dozen-roses-in-texas/
13. https://www.law.com/radar/card/williams-v-great-expressions-dental-centers-49167473-1/
14. https://www.miamiherald.com
15. https://original.newsbreak.com/@openclassactions-com-1602283/3031978293423-are-you-a-patient-at-great-expressions-dental-your-data-may-have-been-breached-and-you-may-be-owed-cash
16. https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/neighbor-reacts-to-car-found-in-james-river-in-richmond/