University of Florida Health Shands officials have notified 1,562 individuals affected by a privacy incident involving a former employee who accessed medical records outside the scope of their duties between March 30, 2019 and April 6, 2021.
Although this information did not involve Social Security Numbers, insurance details or other financial information, some demographic information (such as name, mailing address, phone number, medical record number and date of birth) and clinical information from emergency room visits (such as physician name, chief complaint, progress notes and laboratory and imaging results) may have been accessed or viewed.
Upon learning of this incident on April 7, UF Health Shands officials and the Privacy Office immediately began an investigation to determine the information accessed and terminated the employee’s access to all medical record and other systems. UF Health Shands requires staff to protect patients’ confidentiality and also has numerous policies and procedures as well as training and education to facilitate the proper use of information for business purposes only.
UF Health Shands has no reason to believe that the information was further used or disclosed; however, as a precautionary measure, affected individuals are being offered one year of complimentary credit monitoring. Letters were mailed this week to patients directly affected by this incident. UF Health Shands also set up a call center to provide additional information or address any questions or concerns individuals may have. The call center is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-833-903-3648 with voice response and live agents to assist.
