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Alexandria, Virginia – January 19, 2024 – Mount Vernon Dental Smiles (“Mount Vernon”) has learned of a data security incident that may have impacted data belonging to certain patients.
On August 24, 2023, Mount Vernon discovered that we had inadvertently attached an Excel spreadsheet containing limited patient information to a patient email communication. On that same day, Mount Vernon attempted to claw back the emails but was unable to do so and immediately notified the patients/recipients of the error and requested that the original email be deleted immediately. Please note that Mount Vernon has no evidence of the misuse or attempted misuse of any potentially impacted information.
Mount Vernon is informing affected individuals about the steps they can take to help protect their information. The potentially affected information varied by individual but may include the following: name, date of birth, gender, physical and email addresses, telephone number, dates of service, health insurance plan name and deductible information, patient identification number, and provider name. On January 19, 2024, Mount Vernon provided written notification of the incident via United States mail to impacted individuals.
Mount Vernon has implemented additional measures to minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.
Mount Vernon has established a toll-free call center to answer questions about the incident and to address related concerns. Call center representatives are available Monday through Friday between 9am – 9pm EST and can be reached at 1-800-939-4170.
The privacy and protection of personal and protected health information is a top priority for Mount Vernon, which deeply regrets any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause.
We are providing the following information to help those wanting to know more about steps they can take to protect themselves and their personal information:
You can obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, directly from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your credit report, free of charge once every 12 months, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348 . Use the following contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting agencies:
You may consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. This fraud alert statement informs creditors to possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that your creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact Equifax, Experian or TransUnion and follow the Fraud Victims instructions. To place a fraud alert on your credit accounts, contact your financial institution or credit provider. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting agencies is included in the letter and is also listed at the bottom of this page.
You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, or regular stamped mail, or online by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. You will need to provide the following information when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are making a request for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) address. You may also be asked to provide other personal information such as your email address, a copy of a government-issued identification card, and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. There is no charge to place, lift, or remove a freeze. You may obtain a security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:
You may choose to notify the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union, and request they flag the deceased credit file. This will prevent the credit file information from being used to open credit. To make this request, mail a copy of your family member’s death certificate to each company at the addresses below.
