More than 1,000 patients of the Florida Department of Health Clinics in Palm Beach County could be at risk of identity theft after a recent medical records breach, department officials announced Monday.
Federal investigators brought the situation to the attention of the department in February.
Included in the breach were the names, addresses, social security numbers, medical record numbers and Medicaid identity, which officials determined were the clinic's clients, said Tim O'Connor, public information officer, Florida Department of Health, Palm Beach County.
All patients on the list were either now, or at one time, a patient of one of the seven local clinics within the Florida Department of Health. The list included extensive information about each patient, O’Connor said.
Federal officials are continuing to investigate, but O'Connor said, for now, "We don't know the source of the breach."
Each patient on the list was mailed a notification about the breach, which included methods to review their credit and how to notify law enforcement of any suspicious activity. DOH-Palm Beach is taking it a step further and advising any current or former patients of the Health Centers to review their credit report, as well.
Local authorities will report any incidents to federal officials.
A number of protocols were changed at DOH-Palm Beach a few years ago, O'Connor said. We no longer record SSNs or dates of birth on health records. We've also added additional staff training to prevent these types of incidents.
"The Department of Health takes its role of safeguarding client’s personal information very seriously," officials said. We're "keenly aware of how important this information is to everyone and are fully committed to safeguarding all confidential information."
Patients who received a letter and former or current patients with questions about the breach can call 1-855-438-2778, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com