Dermatologists of Southwest Ohio

Dermatologists of Southwest Ohio, the covered entity (CE), reported that its cleaning vendor improperly disposed of the medical records of 733 individuals by placing them in a public dumpster. The protected health information (PHI) involved included names, addresses, birthdates, drivers’ license information, Social Security numbers, diagnoses, lab results, medications prescribed, and other treatment information. The CE notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and provided complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to affected individuals. In its mitigation efforts, the CE retrained its staff and its vendor on the proper methods of disposing of medical records.