HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals) Primary notice
Posted on the HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals) with a submission date of Sept. 1, 2017.
- Organization as reported
- Consultants Choice, P.A., FL
- Entity type as reported
- Healthcare Provider
- Category as reported
Hacking/IT Incident
- Location of information as reported
- Desktop Computer
- Submission date
- Sept. 1, 2017
- Observed by BreachRecords
- 2026-10-18 16:15 UTC (revision 14077, row:5216)
- Archived copy
- Held in the private archive (provenance)
On July 6, 2017, Consultant’s Choice, P.A., the covered entity (CE), learned that an unauthorized individual had accessed its computer and the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of 1,471 individuals. The exposed ePHI included demographic, clinical, and health insurance information, including the social security numbers of 40 individuals. The CE hired a forensic firm and learned that the unauthorized user likely used written login credentials stored near the computer to gain access. In response to the breach, the CE obtained new computer equipment, created new security management policies and procedures, removed all electronic PHI from its computer, and implemented additional technical safeguards. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, the media, and posted substitute notice in a local newspaper. OCR provided technical assistance to the CE and obtained assurances that the CE implemented the corrective actions noted above.