Physician’s personal email hacked; medical records of 7,000 patients potentially compromised

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Alberta Health Services –  the most important single well being authority in Canada, is contacting about 7,000 patients to inform them the safety of their personal well being info could have been compromised, Calgaryherald reported.

According to the report, a doctor working at Calgary’s Richmond Road Diagnostic and Treatment Centre stated that his personal Gmail account, which he used to transmit well being info, has been hacked.

“This breach is unacceptable and should never have occurred and we are certainly apologizing to our patients whose privacy may have been breached,” stated Dr. Ted Braun, AHS vice chairman and medical director for central and southern Alberta.

“Alberta Health Services has been working with the physician to identify the patients who may have been involved and working with him to develop resources and supports for them.”

He stated letters to the affected patients will exit early subsequent week.

Ted Braun stated the account was improperly used to convey well being particulars, which embrace patients’ names, dates of start, addresses, personal well being numbers and restricted diagnostic and remedy info.

The incident straight contravenes the info safety and privacypolicies that prohibit conducting medical enterprise on behalf of AHS and AHS patients utilizing non-AHS-issued email accounts.

No proof suggests patients’ personal and well being care info has been accessed by the hacker, nonetheless, police are at present investigating the matter and AHS is conducting an inner overview. Braun stated the doctor is being co-operative.

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Alberta Health Services delivers medical care on behalf of the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Health by 400 amenities all through the province. AHS is the most important single well being authority in Canada and is the most important employer within the province of Alberta in addition to being the fifth largest single employer in Canada.