Mail merge error affects 418 patients

Laura Pedulli | | Health Exec | Cybersecurity

A mail merge mix-up is the cause of the latest breach.

The error occurred when the University of Florida, which is partnering with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on the Texas Wellness Incentives and Navigation Project for Medicaid patients, accidentally sent patient record inquiries to the wrong physicians.

The incident occurred in November 2013, but wasn’t reported to the university’s institutional review board until March 3, 2014. HHSC subsequently was notified on March 22, 2014. The Texas Office of the Inspector General determined that patient notification was required in August 2014.

Information disclosed included 418 patients’ names, Medicaid identification numbers and dates of birth, according to the university. “Because limited information was included in the requesting letter, we believe the risk for anyone misusing the information for unlawful purposes is extremely low,” according to a letter sent to patients.

University of Florida promised patients that any future letters requesting their health records would be sent only to their physician.

 

Laura Pedulli

Related Content

Healthcare hacker sentenced to 10 years in prison
Ransomware group deploys ticking clock to threaten Georgia hospital
Hackers were inside an Iowa hospital’s network for two weeks
Microsoft: Ransomware hit nearly 400 healthcare entities this year—a 300% rise since 2015
Feds make it official: Change data breach was the largest in healthcare history, impacting 100M
CMS contractor takes $1.2M loss after data breach, DOJ lawsuit

Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Q&A: MedAxiom CEO explores key trends in cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeon compensation

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

Cardiovascular Business
Payment cuts and beyond: Key takeaways for cardiologists from the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

AI in Healthcare
A modest proposal to rally AI regulators around a simple game plan

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”