Small Breach includes Social Security Numbers

Reading (Pa.) Hospital has notified 12 patients that protected health information, including Social Security numbers, were breached.


Reading (Pa.) Hospital has notified 12 patients that protected health information, including Social Security numbers, were breached.

A hospital employee printed patients’ billing information from the electronic health record for use in a coding and billing class at an “unaffiliated educational facility,” according to a letter to patients that one of the recipients gave to the Reading Eagle newspaper.

For your consideration: Forthcoming privacy/security rules on business associates.

The breach occurred on March 12 and the hospital became aware of it the following day and retrieved all copies by March 15, and the employee has been fired, the newspaper reports. Other compromised information included test results, diagnosis and medications.

Hospital officials did not respond to a request from Health Data Management for more information.

More for you

Loading data for hdm_tax_topic #reducing-cost...