Everett-based Western Washington Medical Group notified 842 patients in January after it discovered its janitorial service failed to shred some medical records and other protected health information prior to disposal.
The clinic learned Nov. 13 its janitorial team, during its routine clean-up, mistakenly commingled documents from the WWMG Orthopedic, Sports, Spine, and Hand shred bins with other trash from the office. WWMG believes all the disposed records were compacted and are now part of a landfill.
Information in the shred bins may have included names, addresses, diagnoses, medical history forms, appointment dates, medical history, and healthcare insurance billing information. Though WWMG believes the risk to its patients is low, it mailed letters to the affected population Jan. 12.
WWMG's janitorial team received additional training to prevent a similar incident from occurring again. The clinic does not have evidence any information has been misused.
All notified patients were provided one year of free identity protection services from ID Experts.
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