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Dear Avisery Members,
The Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the personal information of up to 254,000 Medicare enrollees nationwide have been compromised from a ransomware attack. Affected individuals will receive a letter from CMS notifying them of the data breach. CMS will also issue the impacted beneficiaries a new Medicare number and card.
Background
In October, there was a data breach at Healthcare Management Solutions, a Medicare subcontractor, that may have included personal identifying information of 254,000 beneficiaries. This breach did not include any CMS systems nor affect any Medicare claims data.
CMS will be sending out letters to affected individuals notifying them of this breach. Individuals will also be receiving a new Medicare card with a new Medicare number.
Click here for a copy of the letter.
What the Beneficiary Can Do
If a beneficiary receives a letter notifying them that their information was a part of the data breach, CMS is advising them to monitor their bank accounts, credit card usage, and Medicare Summary Notices. As of now, there have been no reported incidents of identity fraud due to this breach.
Once beneficiaries receive their new Medicare card, they should update all of their providers with their new information. Individuals should also destroy their old card.
As always, if you have any questions, please reply to avisery@ageoptions.org.
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