Valley Baptist Medical Center – Harlingen

Valley Baptist Medical Center, with locations in Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas, experienced a data security breach that compromised the personal information of certain patients. The breach was first identified on June 14, following unauthorized access to a system within the hospital’s network that occurred between March 31 and April 24. In response, the hospital immediately suspended user access to the impacted information technology applications, executed extensive cybersecurity protection protocols, and took steps to restrict further unauthorized activity. A national forensic firm was engaged to assist with the investigation and remediation efforts.
The personal information involved in the breach may have included demographic details to identify the patient (such as full name and date of birth), health insurance information (name of insurer/government payor, policy and/or group number), and medical information (medical record number, patient account number, dates of service, provider and facility names, medications, and other visit, procedure, and diagnosis information). However, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, credit and debit card information, bank account information, and account passwords were not involved in this incident. It’s important to note that not all data elements were involved for every individual affected by the security breach.
Valley Baptist Medical Center has taken steps to notify individuals whose personal information may have been leaked in the impacted system by mailing notice letters. Additionally, law enforcement was contacted regarding the breach. The hospital has also increased its security measures to minimize the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future. However, due to insufficient contact information for some individuals, a notice has also been provided on Valley Baptist Medical Center – Brownsville’s and Valley Baptist Medical Center – Harlingen’s websites