A health clinic in Massachusetts is notifying patients of a data breach after learning of unauthorized access to a regional health information exchange that contained some of its patients' information.
Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, Mass., posted a breach notification on its website, indicating it learned July 13 that the New England Healthcare Exchange Network was accessed without authorization. The notification indicates the individual also accessed information of individuals who are not Codman patients.
According to HHS Office for Civil Rights' breach notification portal, the breach affects 3,840 patients at Codman Square Health Center, but as the breach reportedly affects patients from other organizations participating in the HIE, the actual number is likely higher.
Compromised information on the NEHEN network includes patient names, addresses, birth dates, gender and health insurance information. Some individuals' Social Security numbers may have been accessible, but Codman indicates there is no evidence the information was misused.
NEHEN did not immediately return Becker's Hospital Review's request for a comment.
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