TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A former employee of Tampa General Hospital’s Urgent Care was found to be stealing patient information at the Seminole location, according to a Tuesday statement.
TGH Urgent Care said on Nov. 6, 2020, it learned that a former employee had taken pictures of the driver’s licenses and credit card information of three patients. The information theft happened on Sept. 9, 2020, when the employee took the photographs were going through the intake process at the Seminole clinic.
The urgent care system said the former employee, a trainee at the time, was working alone at the intake window when they took the information.
TGH Urgent Care said they believe no other patients were affected, but as a precaution, they informed 558 patients of a potential breach. These were patients whose charts the former trainee had access to between Aug. 3, 2020, and Sept. 9, 2020.
The system is warning patients who suspect they may be victims of identity theft to check their credit reports to check for unusual activity. TGH Urgent Care is offering these services through SONTIQ free of charge to the affected patients.
The system is also taking steps to improve security, enlisting experts to review its systems and look for ways to enhance protocols. The situation is also under investigation by law enforcement.
