Thousands of patients' data stolen at 3 northern New Jersey hospitals

HACKENSACK, N.J. (WABC) -- Thousands of patients at three northern New Jersey hospitals have been alerted that their personal information was stolen by a billing clerk in a data breach.

Officials said an employee with Medical Management LLC, which handles billing at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, passed on names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of patients.

The billing company said in a release to the media that it's cooperating with federal authorities in their "criminal investigation."

"MML takes this matter very seriously and terminated this employee after being informed," the company said.

The scope of the breach remains unclear.

MML will offer free identity theft protection services to those affected. They said that federal authorities told them March 16 of the breach and that there's no evidence that patients' medical histories or treatments were disclosed or that hospital databases were hacked.

The North Carolina-based billing company contracts with 40 providers across the country. Thousands of patients at White Plains Hospital in New York and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have also been warned that their personal information had been compromised.

The employee worked at the company from February 2013 until March 2015, when the breach was discovered.

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