May 24, 2023- Vascular Center of Intervention, Inc. (“VCI”) is providing notification regarding a recent data incident that may affect the privacy of information related to certain individuals who are affiliated with VCI as current or former patients or potential patients, and employees. We take this incident seriously and we would like to share information with you about the incident, our response, and resources available to help protect your information, should you feel it appropriate to do so.
What Happened? On March 29, 2023, VCI became aware of unusual activity on our network. We promptly began taking steps to secure our systems and commenced a comprehensive investigation into the issue. Through the investigation, we determined that certain documents stored within VCI’s environment may have been copied from or viewed on the system by an unauthorized person(s) between February 25, 2023 and March 29, 2023. We conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected data to determine what records were present and to whom the information related. We then provided written notification to potentially affected individuals for whom we had address information.
What Information Was Involved? Our investigation determined that the potentially affected information may include individuals’ names and contact information, as well as one or more of the following: medical information including, potentially, information regarding medical history, mental or physical condition, or medical treatment or diagnosis by a health care professional, date of birth, health insurance information, Social Security Number and/or Driver’s license information.
What We Are Doing. Along with providing the highest quality patient care, the confidentiality, privacy, and security of information within our systems are among our highest priorities. When we learned of unusual activity, we promptly took steps to secure our systems and investigate the full scope of the incident. We are also reviewing and strengthening our existing safeguards to further enhance the security of our systems. We notified federal law enforcement of this incident, as well as appropriate state and federal regulators. We also directly notified potentially affected individuals, where address information was available, and provided information regarding further steps that can be taken to help protect personal information.
What You Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also encourage you to review and consider the information and resources outlined in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information below.
For More Information. We understand that you may have questions that are not addressed in this notice. If you have any additional questions, please call our dedicated assistance line at 1-833-570-3037, Monday through Friday, from 8:00am – 8:00pm EST, excluding major holidays. You may also write to VCI at 1177 E. Warner Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710.
We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause, and we are appreciative to the community for trusting us with your healthcare needs.
Steps You Can Take To Protect Personal Information
Monitor Your Accounts
Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:
Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
Equifax
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
1-888-298-0045
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
Experian
https://www.experian.com/help/
1-888-397-3742
Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
https://www.transunion.com/credit-help/
1-800-916-8800
TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Additional Information
Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
What Happened? On March 29, 2023, VCI became aware of unusual activity on our network. We promptly began taking steps to secure our systems and commenced a comprehensive investigation into the issue. Through the investigation, we determined that certain documents stored within VCI’s environment may have been copied from or viewed on the system by an unauthorized person(s) between February 25, 2023 and March 29, 2023. We conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected data to determine what records were present and to whom the information related. We then provided written notification to potentially affected individuals for whom we had address information.
What Information Was Involved? Our investigation determined that the potentially affected information may include individuals’ names and contact information, as well as one or more of the following: medical information including, potentially, information regarding medical history, mental or physical condition, or medical treatment or diagnosis by a health care professional, date of birth, health insurance information, Social Security Number and/or Driver’s license information.
What We Are Doing. Along with providing the highest quality patient care, the confidentiality, privacy, and security of information within our systems are among our highest priorities. When we learned of unusual activity, we promptly took steps to secure our systems and investigate the full scope of the incident. We are also reviewing and strengthening our existing safeguards to further enhance the security of our systems. We notified federal law enforcement of this incident, as well as appropriate state and federal regulators. We also directly notified potentially affected individuals, where address information was available, and provided information regarding further steps that can be taken to help protect personal information.
What You Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also encourage you to review and consider the information and resources outlined in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information below.
For More Information. We understand that you may have questions that are not addressed in this notice. If you have any additional questions, please call our dedicated assistance line at 1-833-570-3037, Monday through Friday, from 8:00am – 8:00pm EST, excluding major holidays. You may also write to VCI at 1177 E. Warner Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710.
We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause, and we are appreciative to the community for trusting us with your healthcare needs.
Steps You Can Take To Protect Personal Information
Monitor Your Accounts
Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
- A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.
Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
Equifax
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
1-888-298-0045
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
Experian
https://www.experian.com/help/
1-888-397-3742
Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
https://www.transunion.com/credit-help/
1-800-916-8800
TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Additional Information
Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.