Quest Diagnostics has confirmed a data breach involving a billing agency that could affect nearly 12 million patients.
Quest has about a dozen medical lab-collection locations around Delaware. The company is based in New Jersey.
“American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA), a billing collections service provider, has informed Quest Diagnostics that an unauthorized user had access to AMCA’s system containing personal information AMCA received from various entities, including from Quest. AMCA provides billing collections services to Optum360, which in turn is a Quest contractor. Quest and Optum360 are working with forensic experts to investigate the matter,” a release sated.
The statement continued, “AMCA first notified Quest and Optum360 on May 14, 2019 of potential unauthorized activity on AMCA’s web payment page. On May 31, 2019, AMCA notified Quest and Optum360 that the data on AMCA’s affected system included information regarding approximately 11.9 million Quest patients. AMCA believes this information includes personal information, including certain financial data, Social Security numbers, and medical information, but not laboratory test results.”
According to Quest, AMCA has not yet provided Quest or Optum360 detailed or complete information about the AMCA data security incident, including which information of which individuals may have been affected. Quest has not been able to verify the accuracy of the information received from AMCA.
“Quest is taking this matter very seriously and is committed to the privacy and security of our patients’ personal information. Since learning of the AMCA data security incident, we have suspended sending collection requests to AMCA,” the statement concluded.
Quest will work with Optum360 to ensure that Quest patients are appropriately notified consistent with the law.
Quest reported a much smaller data breach in 2016.
