A national medical testing laboratory that offers consumers at-home testing services and results that can be checked online is the latest victim of a healthcare cybercrime.
Quest Diagnostics Inc., a Madison, NJ-based company with $7 billion in revenue that offers diagnostic testing services for cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease and neurological disorders, says a date breach to one of its mobile apps occurred on Nov. 26
An unauthorized third party accessed the companys MyQuest by Care360 internet app and obtained the personal health information of about 34,000 patients, Quest says.
The accessed data included name, date of birth, lab results, and in some instances, telephone numbers. The information did not include Social Security numbers, credit card information, insurance or other financial information, Quest says.
The company has notified impacted patients of the data breach by mail. Quest says it has taken steps to deal with the data breach and improve security by working with an unidentified cybersecurity vendor, but did not release details.
The MyQuest app allows patients to use their mobile or web-enabled device to view, store, and share their health information, including physicians.
More than three million patients track and access their lab results and health data through the MyQuest health portal and mobile app, the company says.
In November, Quest Diagnostics expanded its patient-initiated testing to Colorado and Missouri to provide consumers in those states more control over managing their health. Colorado and Missouri residents can log onto Quests web portal or mobile app to schedule tests that do not require a physicians order, such as a basic health profile.
The company began piloting patient-initiated testing as a joint venture about a year ago with Sonora Quest Laboratories, a Phoenix medical laboratory system, in Arizona and Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma. About 8,000 patients have used the service since it launched in Arizona, most of which have used the service more than once, says Quest Diagnostics senior vice president and group executive, clinical franchise solutions Cathy Doherty.