Cyber attack at UnityPoint Health puts 16,000 people at risk

Personal information from about 16,000 people could be in the hands of hackers after UnityPoint Health was the target of a cyber attack.

People who may have been affected were sent a letter on Monday. In a statement from UnityPoint Health, it reads,

"To date, we are not aware of any reports of identity fraud, theft, or improper use of information as a direct result of this incident. However, we want to make impacted individuals aware of the situation so they can take precautionary measures to protect their health information."

On Feb. 15, UnityPoint Health staff discovered they were the victim of a phishing attack that compromised employee email accounts. Staff quickly acted to try and secure information by changing passwords and had external cyber security professionals analyze the information that may have been compromised.

Personal information like dates of birth, medical record numbers, treatment information, surgical information, diagnoses, lab results, medications, providers, dates of service and/or insurance information may have been exposed.

a small number of impacted individuals may have had their social security numbers or other financial information compromised between Nov. 2017 and Feb. 2018.

UnityPoint Health is advising people who may be impacted to only share health insurance cards with your health care providers, family members who are covered under your insurance plan, or who help you with your medical care. It's important to review you "explanation of benefits statement" which you receive from your health insurance company. Also, ask your insurance company for a current year-to-date report of all services paid for you as a beneficiary.

UnityPoint Health offered this apologize:

"UnityPoint Health is committed to protecting your information and has taken steps to help prevent a similar event from taking place in the future. We are continually evaluating and modifying our security practices to further strengthen the protections for your personal and health information."

If you think you may be impacted by this cyber attack or want to know if you're at risk, call 855-331-3612. UnityPoint Health said it's toll-free and confidential. It's available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.