Robert G. (“Bob”) Methvin, Jr. of McCallum, Methvin & Terrell, P.C. has been appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) surrounding a data breach affecting patients at affiliates of Community Health Systems, Inc. The litigation is consolidated under Judge Karon Bowdre in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama. The case is MDL#2595.
Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) recently admitted that data from its affiliated physician practices and clinics was breached in what it termed a “foreign-based cyber-attack” on its computer network. The cyber-attack occurred in April and June 2014, however, CHS did not publicly disclose the breach until August 2014. Significant data taken in the breach include: patients’ names, addresses, birthdates, social security numbers and, in some cases, telephone numbers and the names of employers or guarantors.
Community Health Systems is the largest operator of acute-care hospitals in the United States. Its affiliates own, operate, or lease 206 hospitals in 29 states, with approximately 31,100 licensed beds. An estimated 4.5 million individuals who obtained services from CHS-affiliated physicians in the last five years may have been affected.