Drug Raid Yields Sutter Health Patient Data
Police weren't looking for medical records when they initiated a drug bust in Northern California, but in the process they discovered the personally identifiable health information of 4,500 Sutter Health patients.
The security beach is the third major breach since October 201, reports HealthcareInfoSecurity.
According to the article, Sutter Health posted a notice on its web site on June 7 revealing that the Alameda County Sheriff's Department had recovered the data belonging to patients of one of the system's East Bay hospitals during an "unrelated" investigation.
A spokesperson for Sutter was quoted as saying the organization was cooperating with police and that it was unclear whether the data found by police was digital or on paper, or whether it resulted from ID theft or fraud. However the data is believed to be highly sensitive and may have included names, addresses, date of birth, employer and work number, and social security number.
Cheryl Proval,
Vice President, Executive Editor, Radiology Business
Cheryl began her career in journalism when Wite-Out was a relatively new technology. During the past 16 years, she has covered radiology and followed developments in healthcare policy. She holds a BA in History from the University of Delaware and likes nothing better than a good story, well told.