Gillette Hospital Accidentally Breaches Personal Info of 900 Patients

A Gillette hospital accidentally breached the personal health information of 900 patients earlier this month with an email attachment.

EF
Ellen Fike

February 16, 20212 min read

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A Gillette hospital accidentally released the personal health information of 900 patients earlier this month with an email attachment.

Someone from Campbell County Health sent an email to a single person with an unintended attachment that contained patient information including names, account numbers and types of insurance.

“We take our role of safeguarding our patient’s personal information and using it in an appropriate manner very seriously,” said Colleen Heeter, CEO. “Campbell County Health apologizes for any concern this situation has caused our patients, is doing everything we can to rectify it, and ensure that it will not happen again.”

The breach was discovered within the hour and CCH officials immediately contacted the recipient, who was directed on how to permanently delete the attachment from email and all devices.

Hospital officials believe that any potential harm resulting from this breach has been mitigated and all affected individuals have been contacted.

The hospital has taken all appropriate steps to investigate the breach, including reporting to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and following internal policies and protocols, it said in a statement.

Process changes will be implemented in the organization based on the outcome of the investigation.

All CCH employees will be required to participate in additional education and training on best practices in protecting health information.

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Ellen Fike

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