Saguaro
03-11-2008, 07:29 AM
SANFORD, Fla. -- Local hospital patients are outraged because their private medical records wound up for sale at a thrift shop in Utah.
Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford shipped the patients' records by UPS in December.
The records were supposed to end up at a Medicare auditor's office in Las Vegas, but the information landed in Salt Lake City -- up for sale for $20.
Before Henry Humphrey's mother, Hattie, died last February, she had lived in Sanford for decades.
Hattie was a patient at Central Florida Regional Hospital for several years. Her medical records ended up 2,300 miles away up for sale.
"It's been out in Utah; now I don't know who has had the opportunity to view the records," Humphrey said.
Records with Hattie's and 27 other patients' private information -- names, addresses and Social Security numbers -- were sold to an elementary school teacher as scrap paper for $20. It's all the information an identity thief would need.
"That was my first concern, my only concern," said Susan Mezzoni, whose husband's records were sold.
Mezzoni's late husband's records were in one of three boxes shipped from the hospital to a Medicare auditor's in Las Vegas.
A UPS spokesperson said the box apparently lost its mailing label and the records ended up at a warehouse for unclaimed property.
The vendor who sells unwanted goods to the thrift store thought there was plain copy paper inside, rather than confidential information.
"I just hope that the information is returned and nobody has had a chance to use it," Humphrey said.
UPS said the vendor and UPS workers involved have all gone through retraining as to how to handle sensitive information. Typically, sensitive information is destroyed.
The hospital plans to contact the patients affected.
http://www.wesh.com/news/15559516/detail.html
Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford shipped the patients' records by UPS in December.
The records were supposed to end up at a Medicare auditor's office in Las Vegas, but the information landed in Salt Lake City -- up for sale for $20.
Before Henry Humphrey's mother, Hattie, died last February, she had lived in Sanford for decades.
Hattie was a patient at Central Florida Regional Hospital for several years. Her medical records ended up 2,300 miles away up for sale.
"It's been out in Utah; now I don't know who has had the opportunity to view the records," Humphrey said.
Records with Hattie's and 27 other patients' private information -- names, addresses and Social Security numbers -- were sold to an elementary school teacher as scrap paper for $20. It's all the information an identity thief would need.
"That was my first concern, my only concern," said Susan Mezzoni, whose husband's records were sold.
Mezzoni's late husband's records were in one of three boxes shipped from the hospital to a Medicare auditor's in Las Vegas.
A UPS spokesperson said the box apparently lost its mailing label and the records ended up at a warehouse for unclaimed property.
The vendor who sells unwanted goods to the thrift store thought there was plain copy paper inside, rather than confidential information.
"I just hope that the information is returned and nobody has had a chance to use it," Humphrey said.
UPS said the vendor and UPS workers involved have all gone through retraining as to how to handle sensitive information. Typically, sensitive information is destroyed.
The hospital plans to contact the patients affected.
http://www.wesh.com/news/15559516/detail.html