Allina Health alerts 6,100 patients of documents trashed without shredding

Minneapolis-based Allina Health System is notifying more than 6,100 patients that documents containing their personal information were thrown away in the trash, rather than a secure shredder.

Advertisement

Allina is informing all patients treated at the system’s Isles Clinic between April 6 and Oct. 27, when the potential breach was discovered, although the number of those affected is “undoubtedly lower” than the number notified, according to an emailed statement from an Allina spokesperson to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The disposed documents may have included patient birthdates, medical record numbers, addresses, names, clinical information and some Social Security numbers. Since the incident was discovered, the clinic said it has retrained staff about secure document disposal procedures, installed containers clearly marked for shredding, and offered free data and privacy protection services to its patients.

More articles on data breaches:

Florida healthcare agency mistakenly sends records to landfill 
Data breaches in 2016: What can we expect?
Stolen laptop prompts breach notificatin at Texas rehabilitation hospital

At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.

Register to Attend Webinar

The hidden cost of lost clinical time and how leading health systems are responding

Friday, August 7
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

Presenters: Kassaundra McKnight-Young, Zebra TechnologiesGregory Carras, Zebra TechnologiesJennifer Gene, Levata

Advertisement

Next Up in Health IT

Advertisement

Comments are closed.