An employee at Merit Health Northwest Mississippi in Clarksdale is under investigation for identity theft, which prompted the hospital to notify patients of a potential data breach.
The hospital learned July 1 law enforcement was investigating the employee after hospital documents containing protected health information were found in the employee's home.
Compromised information includes names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, health plan numbers and clinical information. According to the hospital's breach notification, the employee appeared to be removing documents from February 2013 through June 2015.
The hospital has launched its own internal investigation into the matter. The individual is no longer employed by the hospital.
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