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TN: Metro Health Department warns of privacy issue

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Dissent

Joseph Pleasant reports:

Metro Nashville’s Health Department discovered that around 1,700 people’s personal information may have been lost in July. The information impacts the Children Special Services program.

Metro Nashville’s Health Department is mailing out letters to notify participants in the Children Special Services program that their personal information could be at risk.

The health department discovered around 1,700 index cards with names, date of births, social security numbers and medical coding were missing following the departments move to its new building on July 18.

Read more on WKRN.

The following notice was posted on the department’s web site today:

Metro Public Health Department Announces Potential Privacy Issue

8/29/2014

Takes Steps to Protect Identities of Children’s Special Services (CSS) Clients


NASHVILLE, Tenn., August 29, 2014 — Metro Public Health Department officials announced today a potential privacy issue that occurred on July 18, 2014 that involved Children’s Special Services (CSS) clients’ personal information. 

On July 24, 2014, the Health Department discovered that index cards maintained by the CSS were missing.  These index cards contained information including CSS patients’ names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, and medical coding numbers.  

The Health Department immediately began an internal investigation, including taking steps to locate the misplaced index cards.  Based on this investigation, the Health Department has no reason to believe that the information on the index cards was taken or used by unauthorized individuals and determined that the index cards were probably placed in a landfill.  Health officials also determined that only CSS patient information was lost.  No other Health Department client information was impacted.

Notification letters were sent by mail today to those impacted to inform them about the issue and to let them know the Health Department has hired an identification protection services company, AllClear ID, to provide services at no cost to them for 12 months.  The following is a list of the services provided by AllClear ID.

AllClear SECURE: The team at AllClear ID is ready and standing by if needed to help protect the CSS client’s  identity. This protection is automatically available to the client with no enrollment required.  If a problem arises, the client simply calls and a dedicated investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore credit and make sure the client’s identity is returned to its proper condition.  AllClear maintains an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau.

AllClear PRO: This service offers additional layers of protection including credit monitoring. For a child under 18 years old, AllClear ID ChildScan identifies fraud by searching various databases for evidence of misuse of the child’s information. To use the PRO service, the client will need to provide personal information to AllClear ID. The client may sign up online at enroll.allclearid.com or by phone by calling (877) 579-2261 using the redemption code listed in their letter. 

Clients may need to take additional steps in order to activate the phone alerts.  All of these services are provided at no cost.  

Those impacted are encouraged to register a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus listed here, and order credit reports: 

  • Experian: 1 – (888) 397 – 3742; www.experian.com
  • TransUnion: 1 – (800) 680 – 7289; www.transunion.com
    Fraud Victim Assistance Department
    P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022-2000
  • Equifax: 1 – (800) 525 – 6285; www.equifax.com
    Equifax Information Services LLC
    P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348-5069


The Health Department is taking action to try and prevent such an incident from occurring in the future, including staff training, elimination of the subject card file system, re-evaluating the retention and use of paper records, and enhanced instructions for moving such patient information.

Children’s Special Services (CSS) is a statewide program offered through the Tennessee Department of Health, which serves children from birth to age 21 years, with chronic illnesses or disability needs.  CSS provides financial assistance for medical bills, prescriptions, durable medical equipment, etc., and case management  services related to a child’s special health care needs.  Children who are uninsured, have TennCare or private insurance may apply for assistance.  Assistance is limited to treatment of chronic medical conditions covered by the program.  The program does have financial eligibility guidelines that are based on family size and 200% of the Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines set for each year. 

Those with questions can call the Health Department at 615-340-5377 to reach a recorded message for more information.  Callers will have an option to leave a message for a representative to return their call.

Update of 9-12-2014: The incident was added to HHS’s breach tool as affecting 1,717.

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