Muir Medical Group, IPA

On March 7, 2018, an employee of Muir Medical Group, IPA, Inc., a business associate (BA) subcontractor, impermissibly accessed and copied its clients’ electronic data, including the protected health information (PHI) of 5,485 individuals. The types of PHI affected by the breach included demographic, insurance, and clinical information. The BA provided breach notification to HHS, affected patients, and the media, and offered identity theft protection services to all affected individuals. It also contacted local law enforcement. In response to the breach, the BA worked with a digital forensics firm to ensure internal safeguards are in place to restrict PHI only to authorized employees and retrained workforce members. The BA also provided OCR with additional documentation including its HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices Policy, as relevant to this breach investigation. OCR obtained assurances that the BA implemented the corrective actions listed above. The employee involved in the breach is no longer employed by the BA.