The University Medical Center has found itself in the news for all the wrong reasons lately, and one of the issues we’ve been following involves the leaking of private patient information that’s protected by law. As a result of this leak of information that includes birth dates, social security numbers and the like, the state initiated an investigation to find out how something like this could happen. Early indications are beginning to surface, and they are not positive for UMC.
According to the Las Vegas Sun:
“University Medical Center has no system to track patient records, leading to numerous instances in which hospital paperwork containing Social Security numbers, birth dates and other private information goes missing, a state investigation has found.
The investigation was triggered by a Las Vegas Sun story revealing that patient records of traffic injury victims were being systematically leaked from UMC, allegedly to ambulance-chasing attorneys in search of clients. The breach, an apparent violation of federal law, is also being investigated by the FBI.
The state investigation also flagged UMC for not taking adequate measures to inform the Clark County Commission — the board that oversees the hospital — so the data breaches could be addressed. Hospital administrators said in interviews that commissioners are involved only in making decisions about clinical operations, the report said, and there was no plan to take the issue to the elected officials.”
Leaking this sort of private information can lead to serious problems for those whose information is not properly protected, particularly if no action is taken when such a leak is discovered. If you or someone you love has been harmed by such an information leak, you need to take action against those responsible for your damages. Contact the Las Vegas personal injury lawyers at Jack Bernstein & Associates to schedule a free initial consultation, as the firm has a long track record of successfully holding those responsible for this sort of harm accountable.
Fri, Jan 8, 2010
Lawyers that answer their phones, Personal Injury