Data Security Incident at Shields Health Care Group

Shields Health Care Group, Inc. (“Shields”), a provider of management and imaging services for health care facilities, has issued a public notice regarding a data security incident that may have impacted individuals’ private information. According to the notice, Shields detected suspicious activity on March 28, 2022, which prompted an immediate investigation into the matter.

The investigation revealed that an unknown actor gained unauthorized access to specific Shields systems from March 7, 2022, to March 21, 2022. The intruder acquired certain data within that time frame, and the type of information that may have been compromised includes individuals’ full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, provider information, medical diagnoses, billing details, insurance numbers, medical record numbers, patient IDs, and other medical or treatment data.

In response to the incident, Shields took immediate action to secure its systems and rebuild certain affected systems. The organization worked with third-party forensic specialists to investigate the extent of the breach and identify the individuals who may have been impacted. Shields emphasized its commitment to the confidentiality, privacy, and security of the information it holds and affirmed its ongoing efforts to enhance data protection measures.

In its notification regarding the data security incident, Shields Health Care Group, Inc. detailed its role as a provider of management and imaging services for a range of health care facilities. Consequently, the data breach may have potentially exposed information pertaining to patients associated with these facilities. Shields Health Care Group has disclosed a list of its affiliated facilities, whose patients’ data may have been compromised as a result of the incident. The following are the facilities included in the list:

• Baystate Health Urgent Care, LLC
• Baystate MRI & Imaging Center, LLC
• Brighton Imaging Center, LLC
• Cape Cod CT Services, LLC
• Cape Cod Imaging Services, LLC (a business associate to Falmouth Hospital Association, Inc)
• Cape Cod PET/CT Services, LLC
• Cape Cod Radiation Therapy Service, LLC
• Central Maine Medical Center
• Chelmsford Surgery Center, LLC
• Emerson Hospital
• Fall River/New Bedford Regional MRI Limited Partnership
• Falmouth Hospital Association, Inc.
• Franklin MRI Center, LLC
• Healthcare Enterprises, LLC
• Lahey Clinic MRI Services, LLC
• Massachusetts Bay MRI Limited Partnership
• Medford Surgery Center, LLC
• Mercy Imaging, Inc.
• MRI/CT of Providence, LLC
• Natick Surgery Center, LLC
• Newton-Wellesley MRI Limited Partnership
• NW Imaging Management Company, LLC (a business associate to Newton Wellesley Orthopedic Associates, Inc.)
• Newton-Wellesley Imaging, PC
• Newton Wellesley Orthopedic Associates, Inc.
• Northern MASS MRI Services, Inc.
• PET-CT Services by Tufts Medical Center and Shields, LLC
• Shields and Sports Medicine Atlantic Imaging Management Co, LLC (a business associate SportsMedicine Atlantic Orthopaedics P.A.)
• Shields CT of Brockton, LLC
• Shields Imaging at Anna Jaques Hospital, LLC
• Shields Healthcare of Cambridge, Inc.
• Shields Imaging at University Hospital, LLC
• Shields Imaging at York Hospital, LLC
• Shields Imaging Management at Emerson Hospital, LLC (a business associate to Emerson Hospital)
• Shields Imaging of Eastern Mass, LLC
• Shields Imaging of Lowell General Hospital, LLC
• Shields Imaging of Portsmouth, LLC
• Shields Imaging with Central Maine Health, LLC (a business associate to Central Maine Medical Center)
• Shields Management Company, Inc.
• Shields MRI & Imaging Center of Cape Cod, LLC
• Shields MRI of Framingham, LLC
• Shields PET/CT at CMMC, LLC
• Shields PET_CT at Berkshire Medical Center, LLC
• Shields PET-CT at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, LLC
• Shields PET-CT at Emerson Hospital, LLC
• Shields Radiology Associates, PC
• Shields Signature Imaging, LLC
• Shields Sturdy PET-CT, LLC
• Shields-Tufts Medical Center Imaging Management, LLC (a business associate to Tufts Medical Center, Inc.)
• South Shore Regional MRI Limited Partnership
• Southeastern Massachusetts Regional MRI Limited Partnership
• SportsMedicine Atlantic Orthopaedics P.A.
• Tufts Medical Center, Inc.
• UMass Memorial HealthAlliance MRI Center, LLC
• UMass Memorial MRI – Marlborough, LLC
• UMass Memorial MRI & Imaging Center, LLC
• Winchester Hospital / Shields MRI, LLC
• Radiation Therapy of Southeastern Massachusetts, LLC
• Radiation Therapy of Winchester, LLC
• South Suburban Oncology Center Limited Partnership
• Shields Imaging of North Shore, LLC

Shields has reported the incident to relevant state and federal regulators, as well as federal law enforcement agencies. In addition, the company has directly contacted impacted individuals, where possible, to inform them of the incident and provide guidance on further steps they can take to protect their information