Miami, FL: A class action filed in Florida seeks redress for AvMed Health Plans allowing millions of its customers' personal medical data to be compromised. AvMed acknowledged earlier that it left laptop computers, containing millions of its members' confidential medical records, unattended. These laptops were subsequently stolen and AvMed's members' personal records were compromised. The records contained AvMed members' names, home addresses, phone numbers, Social Security Numbers, as well as other highly sensitive medical history data such as diagnosis information, medical procedure and prescription information.
Compounding the damage to its members, AvMed repeatedly underestimated the gravity of the theft and had to make subsequent admissions about the vast quantity of data stolen. Initially, AvMed contacted only 280,000 members to warn them of the dangers that accompanied the data loss. However, AvMed made numerous subsequent revisions and finally estimated that approximately 1.2 million of its members' private health records had been breached.
A lawyer representing the plaintiffs says this is easily one of the largest medical record breaches in history, and the disastrous consequences may plague those affected for their lifetimes. Further, they believe that AvMed did not follow government-mandated HIPPA protocols. Merely taking the time to encrypt their laptops, likely would have obviated any harm done by this theft.
