Tampa General Hospital Data Breach (2014)

Tampa General Hospital has fired an employee who accessed without authorization the cover sheets of 675 patients information that can include Social Security numbers, a spokesman said Friday. It's the second data breach in recent weeks involving local hospitals and one of several over the last two years. Tampa General said Friday that it's unclear what happened to these cover sheets, which typically include patient names, addresses, birth dates, insurers, diagnoses and, in some cases, Social Security numbers. The investigation was prompted after Tampa police last month arrested a person who doesn't work at the hospital but had four patient cover sheets. The hospital did not identify the fired employee but said she was a member of the support staff. It turned its findings over to the Tampa Police Department and federal authorities. Detailed medical information was not included in the data breach. The incident did not affect all Tampa General patients, only certain ones scheduled for surgical procedures between Oct. 3, 2011, and Aug. 7, the hospital said. Spokesman John Dunn said the hospital mailed notification letters Friday to the affected patients and has set up a call center. Tampa General's call center is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-877-202-4625. Patients should provide the following reference number when calling: 6167090314. Last month, Community Health System, the Tennessee-based parent company of Bayfront Health Systems, acknowledged that cyberattackers had stolen patient information, including Social Security numbers, from its physician practices. The company promised to notify patients if their data were affected, but it's unclear if those letters have gone out yet. Community Health Systems spokeswoman Tomi Galin has refused to return multiple phone calls and emails in recent weeks.