A New York radiologist has been charged with stealing the personal information of tens of thousands patients of his practice, NRAD Medical Associates.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, James Kessler, M.D., of Great Neck, New York, has been charged with unauthorized use of a computer, unlawful duplication of computer related material and Petit larceny.
"Physicians are regularly entrusted with the health and well-being of their patients, so the abuse of trust in this case is particularly outrageous," Rice said in an announcement. "New York State's privacy and larceny statutes should be reformed so they can apply to more kinds of personally identifying information; in the meantime, my office will continue to work with partners like the [Nassau County Police Department] to make the protection of personal data a priority and hold lawbreakers accountable for their actions."
Between Jan. 17 and April 24 of this year, Kessler accessed NRAD Medical Associates' computer system and duplicated and possessed the protected personal and health information of 96,998 patients. A search of his hard drive uncovered 97,000 NRAD patient records, as well as NRAD patient billing system dates, NRAD corporate credit card information, corporate marketing materials and NRAD IT information.
After the breach was discovered in June, NRAD sent a letter to each of the patients informing them that one of their radiologists accessed and acquired protected health information from NRAD's billing system without authorization. At the same time, a spokesperson informed Newsday that the radiologist in question--since identified as Kessler--no longer worked at the practice and had been reported to authorities.
According to the district attorney's office, there is no indication that Kessler used any of the information stolen to open accounts, make purchases or obtain property in the names of NRAD patients.
To learn more:
- see the announcement