WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Throckmorton County Memorial Hospital has notified patients and employees of a security breach that potentially affected their personal information.

According to a press release from Throckmorton County Memorial Hospital the breach was discovered in their system on September 7, 2021, when the hospital experienced a security incident involving unauthorized access and malware.

New patients as of September 8, 2021, were not impacted by the breach.

After experts examined the data they discovered that the initial breach began on or around August 25, 2021.

The information that was possibly affected includes first and last name, address, date of birth, gender, date of service, diagnosis, current procedural terminology code, condition, medication, and details of hospital visits.

Employees of the hospital had their wage history, social security number, payroll, and filing information breached.

“We are saddened and frustrated by this incident. Caring for our patients during medically challenging times in their life is very important to our mission.  We apologize to our patients and employees for any concern this incident may create, and we will do our best to correct the situation and help them through necessary steps to ensure their safety,” Throckmorton County Memorial Hospital CEO, Dr. Kirby Gober said. 

Patients and employees that were affected by the breach will receive a letter regarding safeguards to be put into place in response to the incident. The hospital has also arranged for the affected patients to be enrolled in a free online credit monitoring service and fraud insurance.

While the hospital is currently up and running, they will continue to provide information and updates and they become available.

Patients can contact the hospital at 1-855-675-3095 for questions regarding the incident.