Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service

Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service, Inc., the covered entity (CE), reported that an unknown individual impersonated a health care provider and gained access to its secured provider web portal which contained the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of 6,045 individuals. This individual accessed remittance documents and attempted to reroute payments from the CE to a fraudulent bank account. The ePHI involved included names, health insurance information, clinical information, financial data, claims information, and treatment information. The CE notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and provided substitute notice. Upon discovery of the breach, the CE immediately stopped payment to the fraudulent bank account and began an investigation. In its mitigation efforts, the CE revised its policies and procedures, retrained employees on social engineering and securing provider accounts, and provided affected individuals with three years of complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services. During the investigation, OCR provided the CE with technical assistance regarding the HIPAA Security Rule.