SAN ANTONIO – According to CentroMed, systems are back online after dealing with a data breach on April 30.
“The fact that it’s been two months, and they don’t know what was taken, that’s just bull. Sorry. I don’t buy that,” former CentroMed patient Mike Frounfelter said.
“We do not know precisely what data was potentially affected,” CentroMed said, in part, in an emailed statement Wednesday. “We have no evidence that patient data was used or that any patient or associate is at a greater risk of fraud.”
CentroMed said that the April hack put around 400,000 patients at risk.
“We had two months with no communication with them about any of this,” Frounfelter said. “It was all spurred by us trying to contact them. It doesn’t give me a lot of hope that the problem won’t happen again.”
CentroMed faced similar issues in June 2023. The clinic said it now plans to continuously monitor attempts to access its systems unlawfully and start using multi-factor authentication.
Since the hack, CentroMed patients have reported problems getting appointments, refilling prescriptions and accessing their medical records.
“The data breach affected operations agency-wide,” CentroMed said in the statement. “However, safely caring for patients remains our highest priority. Despite restrictions on the use of the electronic medical record, CentroMed has remained open and patients have been receiving care.”
“That was not my experience,” Frounfelter said. “They said to walk in, and I did. I needed a paper referral, and they couldn’t do it.”
CentroMed said it can now schedule appointments and handle records and refills. However, due to a high volume of requests, there could be delays.
For Frounfelter, it’s already too late.
“I’ve already switched doctors,” Frounfelter said. “I found someone through my insurance — Blue Cross Blue Shield — so I’m good.”
CentroMed is still asking anyone who believes they are experiencing identity theft to call their toll-free number at 1-888- 990-8424.
The line is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.