UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, N.C., is notifying more than 700 patients that a former employee used their personal information for financial gain, according to an Oct. 20 news release.
UNC Hospitals discovered Sept. 10 that the former employee, who was responsible for handling payments from patients for services at several UNC Hospitals clinics, used some patients' demographic and financial details "to fraudulently obtain goods or services," the health system said in the news release.
The former employee had access to patient demographic information including Social Security numbers, as well as copies of patients' driver's licenses and insurance cards.
UNC Hospitals is mailing 719 patients notification letters about the incident and is offering all affected individuals one year of free credit monitoring. The health system's police department also launched a criminal investigation into the breach.