Farmerica, a pharmacy services company that provides healthcare support to patients and providers nationwide, has announced that unauthorized third parties have accessed its systems, resulting in a data breach. The Maine Attorney General has confirmed that the breach has affected over 5.8 million individuals, with roughly 35,000 of these individuals being residents of Maine.
Farmerica has made a public notice that personal health information has been compromised and has posted an advisory on its website stating that, although no fraudulent or identity theft actions have been reported yet, customers should be vigilant. The company’s parent company, Bright Spring Health Services, has determined that a third party likely accessed the company’s computer systems from March 12 -23, 2023. Personal health information, including social security numbers, medication lists, health insurance details, and financial account information may have been compromised.
Farmerica serves patients in 50 states and 3,100 facilities across various pharmacy markets, including long-term care, senior living, hospital, home infusion, hospice, behavioral therapy, specialty, and oncology. In response to the data breach, Farmerica will provide free identity protection and credit monitoring services to those affected and has a dedicated hotline for any questions or concerns.
Healthcare data breaches are expected to increase in 2022, with multiple high-profile breaches already reported this year. Regal Medical Group, located in Southern California, was hit by ransomware in March, potentially affecting its patients’ personal health information. The breach is estimated to have compromised more than 3.3 million individuals’ information. Critical Insight, a cybersecurity firm, has predicted that nearly 50 million Americans will suffer from a health data breach in 2022. Hospitals and health systems are urged to prioritize cybersecurity measures to prevent such breaches from occurring.