Huntington Hospital says patient records were accessed without authorization by a since-fired employee. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Huntington Hospital has notified some 13,000 patients about a data breach involving unauthorized access to confidential patient information.
A night shift employee improperly gained access to electronic medical patient records in violation of its policies, New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health said. The employee has since been fired and charged with criminal violation of the federal law protecting patient confidentiality, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Northwell said.
The breached information may have included names, dates of birth, telephone numbers and addresses, as well as clinical information such as diagnoses and medications, Northwell said. There is no indication the former employee accessed Social Security numbers, insurance information, credit card numbers or other financial data.
The hospital determined in February 2019 after an investigation that the since-terminated employee had been accessing patient information without authorization since October 2018, and it immediately suspended the worker, Northwell said. The hospital notified law enforcement officials about the breach, and followed their instructions to delay notifying patients until this month, Northwell said.
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