PruittHealth Home Health -- Low Country

On March 2, 2016, a break-in occurred at the office of the covered entity (CE), PruittHealth. The perpetrators broke the glass of the front door and broke into the file cabinets, but it did not appear that any medical records were taken. The perpetrators had the opportunity to access the paper medical records of 1,500 individuals. The types of protected health information (PHI) contained in the records included patients’ names, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, dates of service, location of service, and other clinical information. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals and media and also provided substitute notice on its website. The CE also set up a toll free telephone number to answer questions about the breach. Following the breach, the CE reviewed its policies and retrained staff. Additionally, the CE initiated a criminal investigation with local law enforcement, repaired the door used to gain access to the building, purchased file cabinets with more secure locks, and initiated a search for a more secure office location.