Recently, we sent some of our total joint patients a postcard inviting them to our annual golf tournament. Unfortunately, that postcard identified them as having had joint replacement surgery, and is in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s privacy rule.
The information disclosed included name, address, and the fact that they had joint replacement surgery. The postcards did not include Social Security numbers or any other information that could lead to identity theft.
We truly regret this incident and have taken immediate action to prevent this from occurring again. In the future, all communications will be mailed in sealed envelopes so that no protected health information is disclosed.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, you can contact Michele Brinkman, Chief Operating Officer, at (518) 453-9088. Again, please accept our sincere apologies for this incident. We take the privacy of your information very seriously and strive to safeguard it to the best of our ability.