Chicago-based Mercy Hospital & Medical Center notified 547 patients that an error by a third-party billing company potentially exposed their personal information, reports Chicago Tribune.
Mercy Hospital discovered the breach in August. The breach occurred when a third-party billing service employed by Mercy Hospital lost documents containing 547 patients' medical records, according to a statement from the hospital. The name of the billing company was not disclosed.
Personal information included patients' names, health plans, member identification numbers, billing account numbers and dates of services and procedures.
Mercy Hospital officials told Chicago Tribune it offered free credit monitoring to affected patients.