Community Health Systems, which operates 206 hospitals across the United States including Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw, announced that hackers recently broke into its computers and stole data on nearly 5 million patients. Hackers reportedly had access to patient names, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, birthdays and telephone numbers but not medical records. Those affected include anyone who received treatment from a network owned hospital in the last five years, or anyone who was referred by an outside doctor. The theft does put these people at a larger risk of identity fraud. The company’s hospitals operate in 28 states but have their most significant presence in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. The health care provider also operates several hospitals in Fort Wayne including Dupont Hospital, Lutheran Hospital, Lutheran Rehab Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and The Orthopedic Hospital. The hospital network said it managed to wipe the hackers’ malware from its computer systems and implemented protections to prevent similar break-ins. The company plans to offer identity theft protection to the 4.5 million victims of the data breach.
