Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
Health care data breaches are happening all over the country.
Sommer said, “I can’t remember if we talked about the United Healthcare data breach. This is part of that. Back in the beginning of the year, United Healthcare had a huge data breach, and Change Healthcare is a subsidiary of them. So it was really interesting reading this, all the little things that are connected with healthcare. You think of United Healthcare, you don’t realize what a big healthcare corporation they are. They have all different types of insurance, from private insurance to Medicare plans, and even, I think they have certain Medicaid plans for states. So Change Healthcare is a subsidiary of them, and they’re the group that when you need prior authorizations or run insurance benefits, they work with United Healthcare. They had a huge data breach back in February. So there was a letter that went out that that, I guess they verified if it was real or not. Now, along with data breaches, are scams. So it is real. I guess they’re still figuring how much data was compromised, how many people were involved. So if you do receive a letter from Change Healthcare saying that your data was compromised, you should pay attention to your credit. I believe, they’re offering two years of free credit monitoring if you were affected.”
A $22 million ransom was paid, but data deletion did not occur.
Sommer said, “It was crazy. This company, I found this on the HIPAA website, the Alpha Black Cat ransomware group, was paid, but then it said they exited the scam, and then the affiliate behind the attack was not paid and passed the stolen data onto another ransom group named Ransom Hub, which demanded another ransom payment. That’s really big, huge.”
The total cost is predicted to be more than $2 billion.
Sommer said, “You can go to the Change Healthcare website to get some more information, if you’re concerned or if you’ve received that letter. There is also a number on the letter that matches the contact number on the Change Healthcare website. Your insurance information, social security numbers, the ID numbers affiliated with your healthcare, address, telephone numbers, all of that could have been breached.”
Key West Surgical Group also has the PicoSure laser.
Sommer said, “It is doing great. We are revitalizing skin, reversing some of the sun damage, getting rid of that unwanted pigment with your tattoos, and offering laser hair removal and little spider vein treatment. I’ve had a couple of people had some really great results. So it’s very exciting.”
Hydration during this heat is critical.
Sommer said, “Even though I say our laser is, I don’t want to say sun friendly, you still need to protect yourself from the sun. SPF, if you come in for a treatment, the goal is to reverse the sun damage and try not to get anymore.”
Consultations are free.
Sommer said, “You can call the office, message us through either Facebook or Instagram, and if you see one of the ads floating by, you can even click on that and it’ll bring you to a portal where you can request an appointment.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/