Hospital Sisters Health System Faces Class Action Over Data Breach

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit has been filed against Hospital Sisters Health System, alleging that the company failed to adequately protect patient data, leading to a data breach.

Consumers Affected: Patients of Hospital Sisters Health System whose personal information was compromised in the data breach.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois

A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Hospital Sisters Health System, alleging the healthcare provider failed to adequately protect the sensitive personal and health information (PII/PHI) of its patients. 

Plaintiff Kim Wade, a former patient of the Illinois-based healthcare system, filed the class action complaint against Hospital Sisters Health System on Sept. 12 in an Illinois federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. 

The lawsuit claims that hackers accessed unencrypted and unredacted PII/PHI due to the hospital’s negligent data security practices, leaving thousands of patients at risk of identity theft.

Wade says she learned of the breach after receiving a notice from the hospital in late August, informing her that her sensitive information had been compromised.

Negligence Led to Patient Data Breach, Lawsuit Alleges

The lawsuit alleges that Hospital Sisters Health System’s failure to implement adequate security measures has caused long-lasting harm to its patients. 

The risks include identity theft, as well as victims facing an invasion of privacy, diminished value of their PII/PHI, and the ongoing cost and effort of monitoring and protecting their identities, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also claims that the hospital still retains unencrypted backup copies of patient data, making future breaches possible unless appropriate safeguards are put in place.

“The present and continuing risk to victims of the Data Breach will remain for their respective lifetimes,” the lawsuit states.

Plaintiffs Demand Damages and Stronger Data Protection Measures From Hospital

As a result, Wade is looking to represent herself and anyone who was affected by the data breach. 

She is suing for negligence and violation of privacy laws, and seeks certification of the class action, damages for the harm caused by the data breach and reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs related to mitigating the breach’s effects.

She’s also seeking an order to ensure the hospital implements stronger security protocols in the future. Wade says that had she known the hospital’s security practices were insufficient, she would not have trusted the institution with her sensitive information.

In July, California-based Kaiser Health was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it shared the personal information of more than 13.4 million patients with Google, X, and Microsoft without their knowledge and consent. 

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Wade v. Hospital Sisters Health System
• Case Number: 3:24-cv-03255-CRL-KLM 
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Andrew J. Shamis (Shamis & Gentile P.A.)

Have you experienced a data breach at a healthcare provider? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.