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Breach notification letters create second breach for health co-op

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Dissent

I had been a bit critical in reporting on a recent breach involving the Oregon’s Health Co-Op, writing:

In reading the substitute notice below, note that they do not say from where the laptop was stolen, nor how many were affected. And what kind of “commitment” to privacy is it to just password-protect a laptop with PHI – and to keep “former member and dependent” information on it? C’mon, folks. We can and must do better.

But it was not to be this week, it seems.  A reader e-mailed me last night to call my attention to the fact that the Co-Op had a second breach involving the breach notification letters. He wrote:

When sending out letters letting people know what happened, they somehow mixed up customer address with other customers. I did not receive any [notification letters]  on the policies I have at my address (a total of five). Instead I received five letters of other customers…. After calling this seems to be the case with most customers. It give a code number to sign up with protection with that persons name.

Oops? So I checked their site, and sure enough, Oregon’s Health Co-Op now has an FAQ on the breach involving breach notification letters. They write:

I just received a letter from Oregon’s Health CO-OP with someone else’s name. The letter is about a security incident. I am a member of the CO-OP but I am not sure that this is for me.

We apologize for the confusion.  Yes, the CO-OP is notifying members about a recent security incident. If you received a letter with someone else’s name, please destroy that letter. Another letter with correct information is on the way to you.

What happened with the first letter? Why was it incorrect?

There was a system error with the first letter. We identified the root cause, corrected the error and are re-issuing letters with updated personal codes to the entire list of current and former members. We expect these letters to be in the US Postal Mail by Wednesday, May 6.

Why should I trust ID Experts to handle protecting my data when they can’t send out a letter correctly?

I understand your frustration.  The error was not ID Experts; we accept responsibility for the database/mailing list error.  ID Experts has information that is important to you. We encourage you to contact them to register for the protection services we are providing.

Why did I receive multiple letters to people that I don’t know?

Everyone who is impacted by this security incident has been notified.  This includes all family members, which is why some households received multiple letters.

And no, we still don’t know how many people had information on the stolen laptop or where it was stolen. Oregon news outlets reporting on the breach seem to have stuck to the co-op’s press release and not asked any questions.

 

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Category: ExposureGovernment SectorHealth DataPaperU.S.

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