S.C. part of settlement against Community Health Systems

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South Carolina is one of 28 states involved in a settlement against Tennessee-based Community Health Systems Inc. resolving investigation of a data breach that affected 6.1 million patients, including more than 400,000 South Carolinians.

The judgment against CHS and subsidiary CHSPSC LLC requires at $5 million payment to the states, according to a release from S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office. CHS must also implement and maintain a comprehensive information security program to safeguard personal and health information.

When the breach occurred, CHS owned, leased or operated 206 affiliated hospitals nationwide, according to the release. The breach exposed names, birthdates, social security numbers, phone numbers and addresses of patients and affected 400,903 in South Carolina.

“Privacy data breaches have been on the rise for years now, and we are challenged with balancing business interests as well as those of our South Carolina consumers,” Wilson said. “Our Office feels this is a fair settlement with procedures put in place to hopefully deter, or at least minimize, future data breach incidences that impact our state.”