EVERETT — A debt collection company formerly contracted by Providence Swedish was affected by a data breach in July 2024, the medical groups announced Tuesday.
The data breach occurred when a third party gained access to data from Nationwide Recovery Services, a debt collection company based in Tennessee. The compromised data includes patient names, birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account information and medical-related information from October 1989 to December 1997 for patients at Stevens Memorial Hospital, now known as Swedish Edmonds.
About 1,000 people were affected by the breach, said Ed Boyle, a Providence Swedish spokesperson. Patients who were affected by the breach will be notified and provided identity protection enrollment instructions, a Providence Swedish release said.
The breach took place in July 2024, the release said. Nationwide Recovery Services notified Providence Swedish about nine months later on April 3, Boyle said. Providence Swedish does not currently contract with Nationwide Recovery Services.
The debt collection company told the medical groups that once it became aware of the incident, it confirmed the security of its systems and implemented cybersecurity measures, Providence Swedish wrote in a release Tuesday. The medical groups are offering a year of identity protection services at no charge to people who were affected by the breach.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
