The patient privacy breach that involves papers discovered on an interstate is even odder than appeared at first. A reporter removed patient information that was strapped to a mile marker, according to an extensive update from Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, the Russellville, Ark., hospital that is investigating the data breach that led to two pieces of patient information landing on Interstate-40.
Here's what happened: On Thursday, the day after Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center first learned from a reporter that papers containing information on two patients had been found by a truck driver near Little Rock, Ark., the truck driver who originally reported driving by "thousands" of papers on the interstate called. This time, she said she had found the site where she had seen paper before, which was about 80 miles from the site she previously had reported, according to St. Mary's update on the patient data breach.
The truck driver told St. Mary's that she had strapped the two pieces of paper containing patient information that had been trapped in her truck grill to the 241 mile marker sign post for the hospital to retrieve.
St. Mary's immediately sent staff to the location. An employee of a hospital business partner--Shred-It document handling company, which was closer to the site--arrived at the site first, followed shortly after by St. Mary's CEO Mike McCoy and Safety and Security Officer Steve Olson. Both had gone to the site to ensure all documents were retrieved and handled correctly.
Only later did the hospital learn that the Shred-It employee had not been able to retrieve all documents, because a reporter for KTHV-TV had taken some of the original documents that the truck driver said she had attached to the sign post. The reporter also said he had a paper that bore the name of a physician, therapist and patient not linked to St. Mary's. At that point, someone told the reporter that keeping federally protected patient health information was illegal and that he should hand the PHI over to the healthcare provider or destroy it immediately. KTHV-TV has since removed the video clip that earlier showed the patient papers with identifying information whited out. Perhaps someone at the TV station realized it didn't look good to be so blatantly breaking the law.
Ultimately, the hospital was able to retrieve 250 pages of health-related papers along the interstate near Forest City; only two pages, which were admitting face sheets, involved patients from Saint Mary's. The rest appeared to be from a three-ring binder on diabetes education that wasn't related to St. Mary's, according to a press release. "However, our priority is to determine how any patient information was able to leave our hospital premises."
"Clearly these two papers should not ever have been in the possession of someone not affiliated with our hospital or with these patients' specific care," according to a statement issued by the hospital. The investigation continues.
To learn more:
- read the press release from Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center
- read the earlier stories from Today's THV: article 1 and article 2
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