Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County Georgia

The covered entity (CE), Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County Georgia, reported that an employee impermissibly accessed and downloaded the protected health information (PHI) of 41,692 individuals to a USB drive. The PHI involved included names, dates of birth, medical records numbers, and other treatment information. The CE notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and posted substitute notice on its website. In its mitigation efforts, the CE provided complimentary credit monitoring services and implemented additional administrative, technical, security, and physical safeguards. All staff were retrained on the HIPAA Rules.