Quest Diagnostics, one of the country’s largest medical testing labs, says an intruder broke into a system doctors use to order tests and view results, and accessed some patient records.
The company disclosed the breach in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated Oct. 22. Quest said it learned of the unauthorized access on Oct. 21. The Washington Times reported the disclosure Saturday.
What Quest has said
- The system: The breach hit the Quanum Lab Services Manager, which some clinics use to place lab orders and look up results.
- The data: Quest believes personal information and patient records were accessed. It has not said how many patients are affected or which details were taken.
- The response: The company says it cut off the access, notified federal law enforcement and hired outside security experts.
- Service: As of the evening of Oct. 23, Quest said the system was restored and its core testing work was not disrupted. Two other client systems, Essential Insights and LabHQ, were paused as a precaution, but the company says no data was accessed in them.
What patients can expect
Quest says it will send letters to patients and providers once its investigation shows whose information was involved. In a notice on its website, the company said those letters will describe help available, including credit and identity monitoring. It did not give a timeline.
Quest also said the breach was not tied to a PHP programming flaw that federal officials have warned about. Clinics that need to reset Quanum passwords can call the company’s help desk at 1-800-697-9302.
Watch for scams
Data breaches often bring follow-up phishing calls and emails. Patients should be wary of anyone asking for payment or account details in Quest’s name, and call the number on an official bill or the company’s website instead. iSEARK.com recently covered a federal health care fraud takedown in Los Angeles.
Sources: Quest Diagnostics SEC Form 8-K; Quest Diagnostics Quanum notice; The Washington Times.
