Breach: Miami org loses 1,400 paper records
The paper medical records of 1,407 patients have been lost by Jackson Health System in Miami.
The organization's health information management (HIM) department has been missing the records since January when they were in transit to be electronically scanned or being returned, according to a notice from Jackson Health. There was no breach of Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or financial statements, according to the notice, but patients have been notified and offered free credit card protection.
"After learning of this breach, a cross-departmental team performed a review and instituted a corrective action plan that includes additional training and the installation of security cameras throughout the HIM areas," the notice says.
Jackson Health has experienced other breaches. According to the Miami Herald, a volunteer at North Jackson Medical Center was caught taking photos of more than 500 patient records last year, and an employee in 2011 stole information on about 1,800 patients. Those incidents are not listed in the HHS Office for Civil Rights list of major breaches but an October 2009 breach affecting 1,562 patients did make the list.
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.