PathGroup

An employee impermissibly uploaded files containing protected health information (PHI) to an online repository available to the public. The files contained the demographic and account information of 1,433 individuals and their guarantors, including social security numbers. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and the media. In response to the breach, the CE had its employee immediately make the repository private and remove and destroy the PHI. The CE also sanctioned the employee, retrained its workforce, and disseminated educational material. OCR obtained assurances that the CE implemented the corrective actions listed above. Ultimately, the employee voluntarily resigned soon after the discovery of the incident.