California breach impacts 6.5K
A California hospital has notified 6,500 patients of a breach to their health information following the unauthorized removal of records from the hospital premises.
On Aug. 13, Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, Calif., learned that a former employee had left with emergency department logs without authorization on Aug. 8. These logs, which are paper information, include the personal information of patients admitted to the ED or transferred to another facility between Dec. 1, 2013 and May 13, 2014.
Data at risk include full name, dates of service, date of birth, admitting physician, medical record number, diagnosis and admit date and time. No Social Security numbers or financial information were compromised.
The former employee has handed over the records to the San Diego Office of the California Department of Public Health, according to the hospital.
“As of this date, the removed records are secure and there is no information that suggests personal information in the records has been used or further disclosed,” according a Tri-City Medical Center notice.
The hospital plans to place more emphasis on patient privacy in its employee training and education programs to prevent future incidents.