UF Health Shands is reaching out to more than 1,500 people after a privacy breach involving a former employee, according to hospital staff.
In an emailed statement Friday, the Gainesville hospital said it learned that the former employee gained access to medical records outside the scope of their duties between March 30 and April 6. The hospital said it has launched an investigation and immediately terminated the person’s access to hospital records.
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The breach did not involved any financial details, such as patients’ Social Security numbers or insurance information, but demographic details – names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth – and clinical information might have been exposed, according to the hospital’s statement.
“Upon learning of this incident on April 7, UF Health Shands officials and the Privacy Office immediately began an investigation to determine the information accessed and terminated the employee’s access to all medical record and other systems. UF Health Shands requires staff to protect patients’ confidentiality and also has numerous policies and procedures as well as training and education to facilitate the proper use of information for business purposes only,” the statement said in part.
The hospital said it has no reason to believe that the information was shared with anyone. But to err on the safe said, UF Health Shands is offering a year of complimentary credit monitoring to patients whose information was exposed in the breach.
A call center has been set up by the hospital to answer patients’ questions about the incident. Patients can call 1-833-903-3648 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (ET) for assistance.