Michigan Avenue Immediate Care

Michigan Avenue Immediate Care (MAIC), an urgent care center located in Chicago, Illinois, experienced a significant data breach that compromised the sensitive personal information of over 144,000 patients. The breach, which was announced in late June 2022, led to two proposed class action lawsuits against MAIC. These lawsuits alleged that the healthcare provider failed to implement adequate cybersecurity protocols and procedures, thus failing to protect patients’ information from unauthorized access. The compromised information included patients’ names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security and driver’s license numbers, treatment, and health insurance information[3].

The breach reportedly occurred between November 2021 and May 2022, with unauthorized parties accessing and acquiring sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information[7][13]. The lawsuits claim that the breach has left victims facing a heightened risk of identity theft and fraud, criticizing MAIC for its “very weak computer security” and its delayed and vague response to the breach[3]. Despite offering one year of identity theft detection services, the lawsuits argue that this measure is “wholly inadequate” to protect victims from the threats they now face[3].

In response to the breach and the ensuing legal challenges, Michigan Avenue Immediate Care agreed to a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims that it failed to protect patients’ sensitive information[1][2]. This settlement aims to address the grievances of those affected by the data breach, although specific details of the settlement terms were not disclosed in the provided sources.

The incident underscores the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures within the healthcare sector, especially as healthcare providers hold vast amounts of sensitive personal and health information. It also highlights the legal and reputational risks that organizations face when they fail to adequately safeguard such information.

Citations:

1. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/michigan-avenue-immediate-care-data-breach-class-action-settlement/
2. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/open-lawsuit-settlements/michigan-avenue-immediate-care-data-breach-class-action-settlement/
3. https://www.classaction.org/news/chicago-urgent-care-center-hit-with-pair-of-class-actions-over-months-long-data-breach
4. https://www.sparrow.org/our-hospitals-services/get-care-now/urgent-care
5. https://www.maicincident.com
6. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/boutique-hotel-near-michigan-ave-becoming-homeless-shelter-prompting-staff-layoffs/3273651/
7. https://www.turkestrauss.com/2022/06/30/michigan-avenue-immediate-care-data-breach-investigation/
8. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/08/animal-urgent-care-opens-seva-celebrates-50-years-and-other-washtenaw-county-business-news.html
9. https://www.classaction.org/media/chen-et-al-v-michigan-avenue-immediate-care-sc.pdf
10. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/business/st-louis-total-access-urgent-care-federal-settlement/article_7d5e1e26-a022-11ee-8a8a-47ba550068b0.html
11. https://www.thelyonfirm.com/blog/michigan-avenue-immediate-care-data-breach/
12. https://abc7chicago.com/bronzeville-chicago-fire-breaking-news-south-side/13377996/
13. https://www.gs-legal.com/blog/2022/06/michigan-avenue-immediate-care-maic-data-breach-investigation/
14. https://www.thecourierexpress.com/news/wellnow-urgent-care-opens-in-st-marys/article_f084e292-92ba-11ee-aefd-97326d11b3f8.html
15. https://www.hipaajournal.com/data-breaches-reported-by-university-pediatric-dentistry-orthonebraska-michigan-avenue-immediate-care/
16. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/hospitals-emergency-rooms-cost-childrens-lives-d6c9fc23