BioReference Laboratories

The covered entity (CE), BioReference Laboratories, Inc., reported that an employee improperly disposed of documents containing the protected health information (PHI) of 1,772 individuals. The PHI involved included names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, health insurance information, and treatment information. The CE notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and posted substitute notice on its website. The CE also offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services to affected individuals. In response to the breach, the CE sanctioned the employee responsible and retrained all employees on securely maintaining, safeguarding, and disposing of PHI. OCR obtained assurances that the CE implemented the corrective actions noted.