The Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Specialists

A former physician employee of covered entity (CE), Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Specialists, a Nevada facility that closed in January 2016, impermissibly accessed the protected health information (PHI) of patients after leaving the practice. The breach affected approximately 1,021 individuals and included full names, addresses, dates of birth, patient ID numbers, insurance information, diagnosis/conditions, lab results, and medications. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and the media, and also provided substitute notice. In response to the incident, the CE conducted a thorough audit of the employee’s medical record access following the former employee’s termination. OCR provided technical assistance to the CE on Security Rule compliance should it reopen.