14 DAY TRIAL // Another healthcare organization reports suffering a security breach. According to a notice posted on its website, the Ephrata Community Hospital in Pennsylvania has learned that one of its employees has accessed patient medical records outside job duties.
The organization says the employee in question has not accessed social security numbers or other financial information. He (or she) did however access medical records and possibly clinical information.
Ephrata Community Hospital believes the information has not been misused, but the organization is notifying impacted individuals as a precaution.
The employee has been terminated.
“To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, we are reinforcing education with all staff regarding the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of our patients' information and appropriate care-related access to patient records,” the organization states.
Such notifications – even if they’re only a precaution – are a good thing, since most fraud and identity theft scams involve an employee who’s abusing his/her position to gain access to sensitive information.