Your ambulatory surgery center licensed by the State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Surgery Center of Mid Florida (“SCOMF”) regrets to inform you that we have been the victim of a data security incident. An authorized user accessed files on its network that may have included personal information, including the health information, of some of its patients.
On or about February 21, 2024, SCOMF experienced a network encryption event. Upon discovering unusual activity on its networks, SCOMF began an investigation, which involved the assistance of cybersecurity experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined unauthorized users were able to access SCOMF’s network through SCOMF’s IT vendor. SCOMF’s IT vendor was hacked first and then the unauthorized user exploited the connection between SCOMF and its vendor’s network to attack SCOMF’s systems directly.
Although there is no evidence that any patient information was accessed as a result of this incident, SCOMF is notifying all patients in an abundance of caution due. Personal information contained on SCOMF’s network varies from individual to individual, but may have included patient demographic information, such as names, address, dates of birth; health information, such as medical history, diagnoses, treatments, dates of service; health insurance information, such as account numbers, insurance policy numbers, billing and claims information; and financial account information, including Social Security numbers.
Although there is no evidence that any patient information was accessed or exfiltrated from SCOMF’s network, SCOMF will be sending written notification to all patients regarding the incident and providing guidance about steps patients can take to further protect their information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.
SCOMF values your privacy and takes the security of our systems very seriously. As such, we have transferred our business to a different IT vendor and have implemented additional safeguards to improve data security on our web server infrastructure and to prevent recurrence of a similar attack. SCOMF has replaced and enhanced all firewalls and has transitioned all data to a secure, cloud-based electronic health record system and practice management software. SCOMF is also notifying certain federal and state regulators as required by law.
SCOMF is providing a dedicated confidential, toll-free inquiry line at 1-888-974-9414 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday that patients may contact for additional information.
Surgery Center of Mid Florida deeply regrets any concern or inconvenience this incident may cause. SCOMF continues to evaluate its system to assess and address risks to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.
