WLS reports:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is notifying some of its patients about a former employee’s access of patients’ medical records.
On Nov. 15, the hospital learned that between Sept. 10, 2018 and Sept. 22, 2019, an employee accessed certain patients’ medical records without a business reason to do so, Lurie Children’s said in a news release Friday.
Read more on ABC.
The following notice appears on the hospital’s website, linked from their homepage:
Notice
Notice to our Patients of Unauthorized Access to Certain Patient Medical Records
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (“Lurie Children’s”) is committed to providing the highest standard of patient care, as well as protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our patients. Regrettably, this notice concerns an incident involving unauthorized access to certain patient medical records.
On November 15, 2019, we discovered that between September 10, 2018 and September 22, 2019 an employee accessed certain patients’ medical records without a business reason to do so. We immediately terminated the employee’s access to all patient information, and began a thorough investigation. As part of our investigation, we determined that the information viewed included certain patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth and medical information, such as diagnosis, medications, appointments, and procedures.
It is important to note that the employee was not able to see full Social Security numbers, insurance information, or financial account information, and that we have no reason to suspect that there has been any misuse or further release of patient information associated with this incident. We addressed this issue in accordance with its disciplinary policies, and the employee no longer works for the Hospital.
We want our patients to know that we are taking this matter very seriously. We began mailing letters to affected individuals on December 26, 2019, and have established a dedicated call center to answer any questions individuals may have. If you have questions, please call 844.967.1238, available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Central Time. It is always a good idea to review any statements you receive from your healthcare provider. If you see any services not received, please contact the provider immediately.
We deeply regret any inconvenience and concern this incident may cause our patients. To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, we are retraining our staff regarding appropriate access to patient records.