Tomah Memorial Hospital has notified 600 patients of a breach of protected health information following the arrest of an emergency room nurse who is charged with fraudulently obtaining controlled substances between April 2008 and March 2010.
Dianna L. Peth, 54, of Tomah, was arrested and charged with diversion of narcotics March 29. Peth, who worked at the hospital since November 2007, is scheduled to appear in Monroe County Circuit Court May 3 for a preliminary hearing.
“This breach occurred because the nurse misused her legitimate access to protected health information,” said Tomah Memorial Hospital chief executive officer Phil Stuart.
The patient information wasn’t improperly disclosed to anyone and was limited to the patient’s name and account number, according to an internal investigation coupled with one conducted by Tomah police.
Read more in the La Crosse Tribune.