MidState Data Breach Could Affect 93,000 Patients

HARTFORD – Two state regulators have asked Midstate Medical Center in Meriden for more information about a data breach that may have compromised medical records of 93,500 patients.

 The hospital notified the Attorney General that a hard drive containing protected health information and personal information was taken home by an employee of Hartford Healthcare and subsequently lost.

The hard drive contained patient names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and medical record numbers.

“I strongly believe in protecting the confidentiality of patients’ private information. Hospitals, like health insurance companies, have access to very sensitive health and personal information. They have a duty to protect that information from unlawful disclosure,” Attorney General Jepsen said.

In a letter to the hospitals’ attorney, Jepsen asked that affected patients be provided with two years of credit monitoring services, identity theft insurance, and reimbursement for the costs associated with placing and lifting security freezes. “When protected information is lost or otherwise disclosed, the hospitals have a responsibility to help protect the identities of the individuals affected,” Jepsen said.