Dr. Schwartz Data Breach: Sensitive Personal and Health Info Exposed

On or about Aug. 25, 2025, Michael R. Schwartz, MD, FACS discovered a data breach had occurred, impacting their medical practice in Westlake Village, California.

An investigation into the incident determined that an unauthorized actor gained remote access to a computer within the practice's network and accessed sensitive patient data, impacting 9,809 individuals across the U.S.

According to data incident notice published on the medical practice website, the cybersecurity incident occurred over a period spanning from Jan. 20, 2025, to Aug. 26, 2025.

The information compromised as a result of the incident included both personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) belonging to patients such as names, Social Security numbers, addresses, emails, phone numbers, photographs and medical record numbers.

The cyberattack was disclosed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the California Attorney General on Oct. 23, 2025. Michael R. Schwartz, MD, FACS began notifying affected patients by mail on Oct. 23, 2025.

Michael R. Schwartz, MD's response

The plastic surgery practice is offering affected patients 12 free months of Experian IdentityWorks identity restoration services.

The practice additionally provided a dedicated phone number for patients with questions at 833-918-8973, Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.