A group of patients whose medical records were inappropriately accessed by a former Mayo Clinic employee are moving to file a class-action lawsuit against the Rochester, Minn.-based health system for failing to safeguard their data, the Star Tribune reports.
Four details:
1. Mayo Clinic notified more than 1,600 patients Oct. 5 that the former employee wrongfully viewed their information including names, demographic details, birth dates, medical record numbers, clinical notes and images.
2. The lead plaintiff of the suit, Olga Ryabchuk, was one of the more than 1,600 patients whose information was breached. Ms. Ryabchuk claims violation of the Minnesota Health Records Act, which prohibits unauthorized access to health records, and she also sued for invasion of privacy and emotional distress, according to the Nov. 6 report.
3. The lawsuit filing seeks a class designation for all patients whose records were wrongfully viewed and asks to extend back two years to include others whose data was compromised. It also seeks compensatory damages in excess of $50,000 and the right to pursue punitive damages.
4. In a statement to the publication, a Mayo Clinic spokesperson said, "Litigation has been commenced regarding this matter. ... Mayo does not comment on pending litigation."