12,500 affected by Montefiore breach
Montefiore Health System in New York City is notifying certain patients about a security incident involving information stolen by a former employee. The employee compromised the information of 12,517 patients, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, next of kin information, and health insurance details, according to information on the organization's website. The theft occurred between January 2013 and June 2013. The employee was fired, arrested and is now being prosecuted for this crime.
Montefiore said it is working closely with law enforcement, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to assist in their investigation. Montefiore also is expanding both its technology monitoring capabilities and employee training on safeguarding and accessing patient records to further bolster its privacy safeguards.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.