Shelton, CT – July 24, 2015 – Although unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of patient protected health information, on July 24, 2015, Advanced Radiology Consulting, LLC (“ARC”) will provide written notice of a recent data event to a small subset of its patient population. ARC has established a confidential inquiry line that patients and the public can contact with questions regarding this incident. This inquiry line can be reached by calling 877-237-7408, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET, and providing reference number 6586072115.
On May 28, 2015, ARC discovered that an employee had emailed certain patient protected health information to her personal email account. This protected health information included a combination of patient names, dates of birth, phone numbers, balance information, insurance carrier name and identification number, treatment and exam information, appointment date and time, appointment notes, and referring physician information. This protected health information did not include patient Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, credit/debit card information, or financial account information.
Upon learning of this incident, ARC terminated the employee, instructed the employee to permanently delete the information from her email account, and launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. ARC retained third-party forensic experts to assist in their investigation, and reported the incident to law enforcement, who is also investigating the incident. These investigations are ongoing.
ARC is unaware of any actual attempted misuse of the information, and this employee has represented that she has permanently deleted the information and has not used the information in an unauthorized manner. Nevertheless, ARC is offering each impacted patient access to one free year of credit monitoring and identity restoration services with Experian. ARC is also reporting this incident to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ARC encourages its patients to remain vigilant by reviewing their account statements and monitoring their credit reports and explanation of benefits forms for any suspicious or unusual activity. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To obtain a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 877-322-8228.
SOURCE: ARC
According to their report to HHS, 855 patients were notified.