UCLA Health Data Breach Investigation

UCLA Health has begun notifying patients of a new data security incident involving their protected health information. The notice, filed with the California Attorney General's office, describes unauthorized access to patient records that UCLA Health says was inconsistent with its own internal policies governing protected health information. If you received a notification letter, contact our data breach attorneys to learn more.

What happened at UCLA Health?

According to the breach notification letter, UCLA Health determined that certain patient information was accessed. The UCLA notice does not describe this as an external hacking event, which means it could have occurred under UCLA Health's internal data governance rules.

UCLA Health has stated that it has no evidence at this time that the information was misused and the health system says it has since taken additional steps in response to the incident.

What information was involved

According to the official notice, the information affected varied by individual and may have included the following:

• Full name and address
• Date of birth
• Health insurance information
• Clinical information, such as referral orders
• For some individuals, the last four digits of a Social Security number

Why a Data Breach Incident matters

Unauthorized access to protected health information, even without evidence of external misuse, can lead to medical identity theft and fraud for impacted patients. Medical records can be pieced together with other data to enable identity theft and it is important not to underestimate the gravity of these events.

Healthcare providers are required under HIPAA and California law to maintain reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to prevent exactly this kind of unauthorized access. When those safeguards fail, patients are entitled to understand what happened and what recourse may be available to them. Contact our data breach lawyers to investigate.

Why work with The Lyon Firm

Data breach cases involving healthcare providers move quickly and require careful review of the specific facts involved. The Lyon Firm has experience evaluating data breach claims and holding organizations accountable when patient information is not properly protected. Our attorneys have filed and settled dozens of data privacy class actions in California and nationwide.

If you received a breach notification letter from UCLA Health, contact The Lyon Firm today for a free and confidential case review.