The University of Connecticut Health Center is notifying patients about a privacy breach that could affect around 1,400 patient records.
UConn Health Center issued a news release on Friday morning saying that a former employee, while employed for the center, inappropriately accessed approximately 1,400 patient records that were beyond the scope of the employee’s responsibilities.
The health center became aware of the breach on January 7 and said the records included names, addresses, birthdates and, in some cases, Social Security numbers, and other health information.
There is no evidence that any patient’s personal information was retained or used for any purpose, according to the health center.
The health center is requiring employees to go through training about patient privacy when they are brought onboard, and there will be ongoing training as well.
The health center’s release said it is evaluating all education and monitoring efforts to ensure ongoing compliance.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience and concern this may cause our patients,” Iris Mauriello, the Health Center’s privacy officer, said in a news release. “The actions of one person do not define the integrity of our entire workforce and all of our collective efforts to ensure the privacy of health records. Our patients rely on each of us to ensure safe and responsible use of the information with which we have been entrusted. We take that very seriously.”
Starting today, all patients who were the subjects of the privacy breach will be receiving instructions on protecting themselves against potential identity theft.
The health center is also offering the patients a free two-year subscription to a credit monitoring service, along with insurance coverage to assist with any possible identity theft related to the breach.
Patients are instructed to call 1-877-313-1398, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital.
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