Data breach reported at Wichita medical clinic

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A data breach has been reported at a Wichita medical clinic affecting 397 Texas patients, according to the Texas Attorney General’s office.

Kansas Joint and Spine Specialists, located at 10100 E. Shannon Wood Circle near K-96 and Webb Road has been the victim of a data security breach. The Texas Attorney General’s office was notified that the clinic’s patients’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial information (e.g. account number, debit or credit card number), medical information, health insurance information, and date of birth were compromised in the breach.

Under Texas law, any entity that does any business in Texas is to notify the state of the breach even if no Texas residents are affected. Kansas only requires victims to be notified of a breach.

Only when a breach affects more than 1,000 individuals is a person, entity, or business required by Kansas law to report the breach to all nationwide consumer reporting agencies. However, that can be delayed if law enforcement deems it necessary for their criminal investigation.

Kansas Joint and Spine Specialists say their patients have been notified by mail. The letter includes more information and a number for patients to call if they have questions.

The Federal Trade Commission says there are steps you should take as soon as possible if your data has been compromised:

If your credit, debit card, or bank account info is compromised:

Contact your bank or credit card company immediately cancel the card and order a new one.

Regularly check to make sure there are no unknown transactions on your account

Report any fraudulent charges immediately

Make sure to update any automatic bill payments with your new card information

If your bank account was compromised, close the account and open a new one, then follow the steps above.

If the company responsible for exposing your data offers free credit monitoring, take advantage of it.

Check your credit report to make sure no one has opened a new account in your name. You can do so for free at annualcreditreport.com.

For more tips, visit IdentityTheft.gov.