DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Children’s Mercy Hospital notifies parents after physician error exposes health information

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Dissent

Sometimes your policies are fine, but a well-meaning employee still manages to violate them. Consider this notification from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri:

Kansas City, Mo. – May 19, 2017 – Children’s Mercy’s information security department recently discovered an unauthorized website that contained certain patient information. The information had been collected by one of the hospital’s physicians who was using the website in an effort to create an educational resource. Although the physician believed that all individual information contained in the website was password protected and inaccessible, unfortunately the website’s security controls did not meet the hospital’s standards and the information could have been accessed by unauthorized third parties. Promptly following discovery, Children’s Mercy took down the website. The website was not owned or authorized by Children’s Mercy or on the hospital’s network. Storing patient information on the website violated Children’s Mercy’s policies.

Although Children’s Mercy is not aware of any misuse of the patient information, the hospital is sending letters to the 5,511 affected patients. Information that was stored on the site varied by patient, but may have included name, medical record number, gender, birthdate/age, height/weight, dates of service and brief notes.

It is important to note that Social Security numbers, addresses, photos, telephone numbers, insurance information and credit card information were NOT included in this information.

Children’s Mercy has established a call center (1-855-836-1509) and an informational webpage (childrensmercy.org/May2017) to provide answers to affected families. Additionally, Children’s Mercy is offering free identity theft protection.

The hospital sincerely apologizes for this situation.

The text of the notification letter to parents can be found here (pdf).


Related:

  • Missouri Adopts New Data Breach Notice Law
  • Qantas obtains injunction to prevent hacked data’s release
  • Ransomware attack disrupts Korea's largest guarantee insurer
  • Theft from Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital sparks probe
  • Global operation targets NoName057(16) pro-Russian cybercrime network in Operation Eastwood
  • More than 100 British government personnel exposed by Ministry of Defence data leak
Category: ExposureHealth DataInsiderU.S.

Post navigation

← Trios Health fires employee over records breach, hundreds of patients affected
The Sanctuary Market Pwn3d By Cipher0007 →

1 thought on “Children’s Mercy Hospital notifies parents after physician error exposes health information”

  1. Anonymous says:
    May 31, 2017 at 12:06 pm

    While I do believe that this was an error by the well-meaning employee, I am a concern for the lack of security controls that allow this individual to exfiltrate sensitive data to host at this unsecured website.

Comments are closed.

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Government will ‘robustly defend’ compensation claims from Afghans put at risk by data breach
  • Authorities released free decryptor for Phobos and 8base ransomware
  • Singapore Facing ‘Serious’ Cyberattack by Espionage Group With Alleged China Ties
  • Missouri Adopts New Data Breach Notice Law
  • Qantas obtains injunction to prevent hacked data’s release
  • Ransomware attack disrupts Korea’s largest guarantee insurer
  • Theft from Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital sparks probe
  • Global operation targets NoName057(16) pro-Russian cybercrime network in Operation Eastwood
  • More than 100 British government personnel exposed by Ministry of Defence data leak
  • New TeleMessage SGNL Flaw Is Actively Being Exploited by Attackers

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • 𝐔𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚‑𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝟑𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.
  • Meta investors, Zuckerberg reach settlement to end $8 billion trial over Facebook privacy violations
  • ICE is gaining access to trove of Medicaid records, adding new peril for immigrants
  • Microsoft can’t protect French data from US government access
  • Texas Enacts Electronic Health Record Data Localization Law
  • Upstate NY county clerk again refuses to enforce Texas abortion judgment
  • Attorney General James Leads Coalition Urging Congress to Protect Americans from Masked ICE Agents

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.
Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report