Hospital offering credit review to notified patients
Published 4:53 am Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Our Lady of the Angels Hospital recently learned that a former employee improperly accessed 1,140 patient records from the date they acquired the hospital on March 17, 2014, until July 25, 2017, according to hospital officials.
After a thorough investigation, the hospital is notifying patients whose data may have been improperly viewed. The investigation did not find any evidence that the former employee used or shared any personal information improperly, and the individual was terminated upon discovery, officials said.
“Patient privacy is a top priority and we have a zero tolerance policy for employees who improperly access patient data,” said Rene Ragas, president and CEO of Our Lady of the Angels. “We deeply regret that this happened and we are committed to doing the right thing. We have no evidence indicating that any individual’s personal information has been utilized or misused, but, out of an abundance of caution and transparency, we are proactively informing those who may have been impacted by this incident.”
Ragas noted that the hospital is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its patients and their medical records. Our Lady of the Angels Hospital is offering 12 months of credit monitoring services, free of charge, to people whose data may have been improperly viewed.
To help prevent any incidents like this from occurring in the future, the hospital announced that it is reviewing its policies, revising its audit processes, and providing additional education to all employees regarding the privacy and security of confidential patient information.
For more information, call the Our Lady of the Angels toll-free call center at 855-899-2095, beginning Monday, Sept. 25, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.