Tucson-based Urological Associates of Southern Arizona has notified more than 3,000 patients of a potential data breach after an investigation found employees did not properly dispose of patient urine specimen cups, according to a Tucson News Now report.
The investigation found some employees at two clinics had not been removing the labels from the specimen cups before discarding them, potentially since April 2011, according to the report. Patient information on the label includes patient names, birth dates, internal chart number, physician names and date of service. According to the report, removing and shredding the labels is company policy.
The provider does not believe anyone accessed the trash or the patient information and is retraining employees in proper protocol, according to the report.
More articles on data breaches:
5 recent data breaches
4 shortcomings of HIPAA in the era of reform
Mobile security: Why hospitals need to better protect data