More than 3 million patients were affected in a data breach involving behavioral telehealth company Cerebral, according to the HHS' Office of Civil Rights.
Cerebral, whose clinicians prescribe medications for conditions including depression and anxiety via telehealth, started notifying patients March 6 that some of their data may have been sent to social media companies via consumer-tracking pixel tools.
The company confirmed March 9 to Becker's writer Giles Bruce that it removed the pixel technology but did not disclose the number of patients affected. The HHS breach report says it was 3.2 million patients.
Cerebral has been embroiled in controversy since at least May 2022, when an investigation into stimulant prescriptions and misleading ads led to the company firing then-CEO and founder Kyle Robertson. The company has since sued Mr. Robertson for allegedly refusing to pay back half of a $49.8 million loan.
The company laid off 20 percent of its staff in October and 15 percent of its staff in February, as part of multiple rounds of layoffs affecting hundreds of employees.