x
Breaking News
More () »

Letters sent to DMOS patients regarding data breach: When did the incident happen?

The impacted data includes social security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and health records.

DES MOINES, Iowa — If you’ve ever been a patient of Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeons, or DMOS, there’s a chance your personal information may have been compromised.

The medical center recently sent out hundreds of letters to current and former patients, notifying them of a security breach that took place in February of 2023. 

According to a notice from DMOS, "The impacted data includes full names in combination with one or more of the following: Social Security numbers, date of birth, driver’s license numbers and/or state identification numbers, passports, direct deposit bank information, medical information and health insurance information."

However, the company says not all data elements were impacted for every patient. 

"As soon as I got those letters in the mail, I immediately thought, 'Oh, this is going to be big,'" Stacie Skitka Hesterberg told Local 5.

She was shocked when the four letters arrived in the mail, but believed DMOS may not have known about the incident right away. After looking into the incident further, her opinion changed. 

Three members of her family had also received care at the facility.

"They knew what happened, and they knew when it happened, and sat on it for that long," Hesterberg said. "As an employee, I trusted them with my care and my family's care and referred many people."

Like Hesterberg, many patients have expressed frustration over the company's lack of urgency in the situation. 

"Why would they not have notified immediately? To withhold that information from so many people for so long, it's frustrating," she said. 

While it took DMOS 11 months to notify patients of the breach, the company says they weren’t aware of the information leak until early December. They are also "not aware of any incidents of identity fraud or financial fraud as a result of the incident," the company notice reads.

To protect themselves, DMOS has advised patients to freeze their credit or place a fraud alert on their credit file. Anyone with questions about the possible breach can contact DMOS directly at 1-888-983-0228. 

Watch: Iowa woman loses thousands in bitcoin ATM scam

Before You Leave, Check This Out