Daniel A. Sheldon, M.D

On May 18, 2013, OCR received an anonymous complaint alleging that the protected health information (PHI) of the patients of the covered entity (CE), Dr. Daniel Sheldon, M.D., P.A., was accessible on the internet via Google. OCR confirmed the allegations when it identified web search results containing private medical records from a website associated with the practice. Following an investigation by OCR, the practice submitted a breach notification to HHS on September 16, 2015, in which it reported that the PHI of approximately 2,075 patients was potentially viewable online, including addresses, dates of birth, names, and clinical information. In response to the incident, the CE contacted its electronic medical record (“EMR”) hosting company, IOS Health Systems (“IOS”), which immediately secured the information and conducted an internal investigation. IOS changed the file locations of the practice’s EMR records, renamed the file structures, obfuscated file directories, conducted standard security inspections, and began an audit trail review to determine any unauthorized access to the CE's records. Additionally, the CE ensured that users did not share any documents or links via non-