Friday, January 17, 2020
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Roper St. Francis Healthcare notifies patients after documents disposed with trash
CHARLESTON, SC — Roper St. Francis Healthcare is mailing notification letters today to patients whose information may have been affected after paper documents were improperly thrown out with the regular garbage.
No Social Security numbers or financial information for any patient was compromised. There also is no indication any patient information has been misused.
We discovered on Dec. 10, 2019 that documents relating to about 1,600 individuals were not correctly placed in a secure patient-record disposal bin for shredding at the Roper St. Francis Physician Partners Primary Care location in South Windermere Center. These documents could have included patients’ names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, appointments, prescription information, medical history and insurance notices. An employee recognized the improper disposal and immediately notified the appropriate leaders. There is no indication this information has been or will ever be improperly accessed, acquired or misused because garbage at the landfill is continually buried by additional garbage.
Out of an abundance of caution, we are letting those who may be affected know all the steps we are taking to protect their personal identifiable information. We also have taken internal corrective actions and conducted additional training regarding the importance of safeguarding patient information. Finally, we are conducting audits throughout our healthcare system on the proper use and storage of patient information to prevent this type of incident in the future.
Anyone with concerns that their information may have been compromised can call the dedicated toll-free call center at 1-844-305-8392. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our patients, and we value the privacy and confidentiality of our patients’ information.