From June 2011 to March 2015, an unnamed UC Irvine Medical Center employee breached patient data. The employee’s work capacities required them to gain entry to selected records, but officials advised the employee accessed thousands more without work-related reason or permission. Currently, the data for 4,859 patients were confirmed as accessed by the employee. Those patients will receive notification from the hospital on the next steps to protect their identity and information.
UC has hired an external computer forensics company to review the situation. Law enforcement was contacted, and a criminal investigation has been launched against the employee. The hospital has not released information on what happened to the employee outside of saying they were disciplined. There has been no confirmation if the employee was terminated.
The medical center will extend offers in their letters to patients, including a free year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring tools. Officials for the hospital released a statement following the reported breach, advising it, “regrets any inconvenience, stress or worry this news may have caused our patients. Our goal is to ensure the privacy of patients’ personal information.” Officials believe the employee did not capture any social security numbers, debit/credit card information or ID numbers.
Rather, it appears the employee looked at medical information and other concerning personal information, including:
- Birth dates
- Home addresses
- Employment status and employers
- Gender
- Height and weight
- Health-related issues and details
Officials have not shared if the employee was targeting specific patients over the four-year period, or if the employee had an intended goal with the data of information breached. Patient files were intact, and reportedly no physical information was removed from the hospital by the employee. Law enforcement declined to release additional information until the investigation is complete.
Patients with questions on the breach can reach out to 888-653-6036 for more information.