Altus Baytown Hospital Reports Ransomware Incident

BAYTOWN, TX — Officials at Altus Baytown Hospital are asking their patients to check their records after a number of electronic files containing patient information were breached and infected with malware. The announcement was made this week about the breach, which occurred on Sept. 3.

Hospital officials said in a press release that infected files were encrypted by a ransomware program in an effort to extort money. Hospital officials launched an investigation and were able to determine that none of the patient files had been compromised.

However, officials said that files that contained personal information, such as name, dates of birth and social security numbers, were encrypted by the program and probably were not accessed.

Nevertheless, officials are recommending that patients keep a careful eye on their credit score, credit cards, bank statements and other financial information for any irregularities.

It’s a good idea to register a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus:

• Experian
• Transunion
• Equifax

If you think your information has been compromised:

• Do not provide any personal information to anyone requesting information from you by telephone or e-mail.
• Be wary of scams that may appear to offer protection but are really trying to get personal information from you.
• If you have any suspicions about the authenticity of an e-mail or text, do not click the links in it.
• If you believe any personal information has been compromised, notify law enforcement to assist you.

Review helpful sites to learn more about consumer protection related to information compromise, i.e. AHIMA’s Medical Identity Theft Response Checklist for Consumers, which can be found here.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to: ABHbreach@AltusHealthSystem.com with your questions, full name, and contact information, and we will reach out to you directly.

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