To past and current patients of Sharon J. Jones, M.D.:
On the evening of January 8, 2015, our office was broken into and our 2014 credit card transaction register and approximately 350 patient charts were stolen. Upon discovery the following morning, the San PabloPolice Department was immediately notified and a formal police report was filed.
Notification letters to all patients who are believed to have been affected by this incident were mailed on March 5, 2015, to the patient’s most recent address on file.
For those patients whose chart was stolen, their exposed information included: first and last name, date of birth, address, telephone number, social security number if it was provided to us, medical records (lab results, history, physical, consultation notes, hospital notes), and medical insurance information.
With regard to the 2014 credit card transaction register: If you paid our office by credit card in 2014, the information exposed was: your first and last name, a copy of your medical insurance card, and the last four digits of your credit card number.
Please be assured that our office has taken every step necessary to address this unfortunate incident. To help protect our patients’ identities, we have arranged to have Kroll provide identity theft protection at no cost to them for 1 year. Kroll is a global leader in risk management and response, and their team has extensive experience helping people who have sustained unintended exposure of confidential data.
Further, it is recommended that our patients call the three major credit agencies and place a 90-day fraud alert. If desired, the contact information is: Equifax (1-888-766-0008; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374); Experian (1-888-397-3742; P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013); and TransUnion (800-680-7289; P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022-2000). Anyone is also entitled to a free credit report every year from each of these agencies at www.annualcreditreport.com. Lastly, affected patients may also want to contact their bank and credit card company and notify them of the situation.
We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and any concern it may cause you. We understand how important confidentiality and trust is to our physician-patient relationship. Please feel free to call 1-877-451-9361 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central Time) or use the above postal address to discuss any concerns or questions you may have.
SOURCE Sharon J. Jones, M.D.