CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Community Health Systems Inc. is to pay $5 million to 27 states after a massive data breach in August 2014 that impacted approximately 6.1 million patients nationwide, including 75,597 consumers from West Virginia.
West Virginia Attorney General Morrisey made the announcement Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020.
According to the official Community Health Systems Inc. website. The Tennessee-based company maintains control over just 92 hospitals, including Greenbrier Valley Medical Center of Ronceverte and Plateau Medical Center of Oak Hill.
At the time of the breach, CHS owned, leased or operated 206 affiliated hospitals, including five West Virginia entities – Oak Hill Clinic Corp., Oak Hill Hospital Corp., Bluefield Clinic Company LLC, Greenbrier Valley Anesthesia LLC, Greenbrier Valley Emergency Physicians and Ronceverte Physician Group.
The CHS data breach exposed names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and patient addresses.
Morrisey says as part of the settlement, West Virginia will receive $73,897 and CHS patients in the state will benefit from the stringent security protocols implemented.
The settlement also includes updates to security measures within the settlement that require CHS and subsidiary CHSPSC LLC to incorporate security awareness and privacy training, develop a written incident response plan and limit unnecessary or inappropriate access to protected health information.
The other state involved in this settlement includes Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
