Data breaches affect 13,775 Medicare beneficiaries
At least, 14 data breaches by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had affected 13,775 medicare beneficiaries whose identification numbers and other personal information may have been used illegally. In its October 2012 report, the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said these breaches were covered during the period betwen Sept. 23, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2011, which were considered a clear violation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The report titled "CMS Response to Medicaid and Identity Theft", prepared under the direction of Jodi Nudelman, regional inspector general for evaluation and inspections in the New York regional office, the CMS was tasked to provide notification if it reasonably believed the information was accessed, acquired, used or disclosed as a result of these breaches. The IG Office claimed the breaches involved the beneficiaries' Medicare identification numbers, dates of birth, diagno