EMSA notifies patients of possible security breach

Emergency Medical Services Authority (“EMSA”) says, it has identified suspicious activity in its IT network and is mailing letters to patients whose information may have been involved.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Emergency Medical Services Authority (“EMSA”) says, it has identified suspicious activity in its IT network and is mailing letters to patients whose information may have been involved.

According to EMSA, on February 13, 2024, EMSA identified suspicious activity in its IT network. EMSA immediately initiated its incident response protocols, which involved shutting off select systems as a proactive measure.

EMSA officials say, a investigation was conducted with the assistance of a third-party forensic firm and notified law enforcement. The investigation determined that an unauthorized party gained access to its network and, between February 10, 2024 and February 13, 2024, acquired files that contained information pertaining to certain EMSA patients. The information involved varied by individual, but generally included one or more of the following: name, address, date of birth, date of service, and, for some, name of primary care provider and/or Social Security number.

Starting today March 22, EMSA confirms it is mailing notification letters to individuals whose information may have been involved and for whom they have sufficient contact information.

EMSA has established a dedicated, toll-free call center to answer questions that individuals may have about the incident. Patients with questions can call (866) 495-7098, available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time.

According to EMSA, individuals whose Social Security numbers were involved with a complimentary offer to credit monitoring and identity protection support services. Additionally, EMSA says the notification letters remind patients that it is always a good idea to carefully review communications they receive from their healthcare providers. If patients see charges for services they did not receive, they should contact the issuing provider immediately.

EMSA officials confirm preventative measures are in place to help prevent something like this from happening again, EMSA has implemented, and will continue to adopt, additional safeguards to further protect and monitor our systems. During this incident EMSA it was still able to provide services to the community, according to EMSA.

EMSA is an ambulance services provider serving communities throughout central and eastern Oklahoma.

Additional information is available on EMSA’s website here.