Improper record disposal puts 12.5K at risk

The mistaken disposal of paper documents by a Philadelphia payer compromised the personal information of 12,500 of its members.

The breach occurred when maintenance workers at Independence Blue Cross (IBC) threw into the trash four boxes of member records that were supposed to be transferred from one floor to another, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Patient information at risk included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, member identification numbers, healthcare plans and group numbers for members in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Although there is no evidence that the information was used fraudulently, the payer is offering free credit services to the 8,800 members whose Social Security numbers were included in the discarded documents.

"To reduce the risk of another such incident, we no longer allow our maintenance team to dispose of full boxes in the trash," said IBC Spokeswoman Liz Williams in a statement.