Boston hospital faxed patient information to bank for six months
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, February 13, 2006
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Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital mistakenly faxed patient data to a local investment bank regularly for the past six months, exposing the data of approximately 30 patientsThe Boston Herald reports.
The hospital faxed the bank sensitive information about women who had recently given birth. The information included Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses, hospital room numbers, health insurance data, blood types, religion and occupations, names of doctors, hospital discharge data, and the results of tests for several diseases, including chlamydia and syphilis, The Herald reported. The bank shredded the faxes upon receipt. Bank employees say they repeatedly contacted the hospital and were assured that the faxes would stop.
"Brigham and Women's Hospital considers this a serious matter and is now conducting its own internal investigation," the hospital said in a recent statement to The Herald. "The hospital has identified the error and has taken immediate steps to correct the situation."
Click here to read The Herald article.
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