University of Iowa Community HomeCare and University of Iowa Health Care are notifying people whose information may have been compromised during a data incident.
On July 3, 2025, UI Community HomeCare, an affiliate company that supports the mission of University of Iowa Health Care, had someone access its computer system without permission. UI Community HomeCare quickly took action, shutting down its servers and bringing in cybersecurity experts to investigate. They were able to safely restore its systems within one business day.
No electronic health record systems were affected by the data incident. While UI Community HomeCare and UI Health Care have separate operating systems, electronic health record systems, and information technology services, their relationship has historically involved sharing some patients, employees, and data files.
After a comprehensive investigation, UI Community HomeCare learned that a cybercriminal was able to see and take copies of data files containing information from patients, including a group of UI Health Care patients.
UI Community HomeCare and UI Health Care mailed written notifications on Aug. 29, 2025 to approximately 211,000 individuals affected by the data incident. A substitute notice has also been posted on uihc.org and uicommunityhomecare.org.
Below is a sample of the letter UI Health Care is sending to those who are potentially affected:
Dear [Name],
At University of Iowa Health Care, we take patient trust and data protection very seriously. We deeply regret to inform you of an incident at University of Iowa Community HomeCare, an affiliate company that supports the mission of UI Health Care, involving the personal information of [Extra1]. Please be assured that we have taken every step necessary to address the incident.
UI Community HomeCare is a full-service home infusion and medical equipment services provider that serves individuals living in Iowa, western Illinois, and northern Missouri. While UI Community HomeCare and UI Health Care have separate operating systems, electronic health record systems, and information technology services, their relationship has historically involved sharing patients, employees, and data files.
On July 3, 2025, UI Community HomeCare had someone access its computer system without permission. UI Community HomeCare quickly took action to protect their patients and prevent further harm by shutting down their servers and bringing in cybersecurity experts to investigate. They were able to safely restore systems within one business day.
After further investigation, we learned that a cybercriminal was able to see and take copies of data in UI Community HomeCare’s computer system, which included some shared data files containing information from a group of UI Health Care patients.
We want to assure you that UI Health Care’s electronic health record system and its servers were not affected by the data incident at UI Community HomeCare. However, the files that were accessed include patient information such as name, date of birth, medical record number, provider, type of visit, insurance information, and date of service.
If you have questions about this incident, please call 833-745-0871, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 8 pm Central Time (excluding major U.S. holidays). Be prepared to provide your engagement number. You may also visit uihc.org for additional information.
Although there is no indication at this time that your information has been misused, we encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your personal account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Please review the information in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information found below if you feel it is necessary to do so.
UI Health Care sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident. We are committed to working with UI Community HomeCare to strengthen its systems and business processes so we can prevent events like this from happening in the future.
Sincerely,
Joint Office for Compliance
University of Iowa Health Care
Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
Equifax
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ 1-888-298-0045
Equifax Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
Experian https://www.experian.com/help/ 1-888-397-3742
Experian Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 1-800-916-8800
TransUnion Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Additional Information
You can find additional information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or the state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID- THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.