TRINITY HOSPITAL PATIENT DATA STOLEN BY EMPLOYEE
The Birmingham News is reporting Chelsea Catherine Stewart was charged with stealing more than 4,500 patients’ medical records from Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The matter is currently under investigation and while authorities have not disclosed her motive for stealing the patients’ personal identifying information (PII). However, the identity thief’s notes indicated that she planned to run credit reports on people whose information was included in the hospital documents.
When Ms. Stewart was arrested she had hundreds of documents with patients’ PII, including names, birth dates and Social Security numbers. The medical records spanned several years and dated back to 2006. The patient records were taken from a closed patient registration area.
As a result, Trinity Hospital is re-writing its data security policies. “We take our responsibility to protect patient privacy very seriously and sincerely regret that this theft occurred,” spokeswoman Leisha Harris told the Birmingham News. “To help safeguard against any further incidents, we are increasing our document security and changing access to our registration areas.”
Have you been a patient of Trinity Medical Center in 2006 to the present? You may be at risk for identity theft. You should request your credit report immediately from all three nationwide consumer reporting agencies, including Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. You are entitled under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as amended by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), to a free consumer disclosure if you believe you may be a victim of identity theft or fraud. Contact identity theft protection attorney Micah Adkins for a free information kit on how to protect your identity. You can also use the contact form below:
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