Florida Hospital: 2 employees copied records of 9,000 patients

Florida Hospital: 2 employees copied records of 9,000 patients

Two Florida Hospital employees printed portions of medical records of as many as 9,000 patients from January 2012 to May 2014, the hospital announced on Friday..

The hospital is notifying the affected patients on Friday.

Hospital campuses in Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties are affected.

There is no evidence that the patients’ information have been misused, but the hospital is offering identity theft protection to them via a letter with instructions.

The two employees have been terminated, the hospital said.

“This incident should not be a reflection of the collective workforce at Florida Hospital, who work tirelessly to provide the highest quality of care and protect patients’ rights,” said Florida Hospital spokeswoman Samantha Kearns O’Lenick in a statement.

Law enforcement officials notified the hospital of the activity in May 2, 2014, after discovering the records during a separate investigation.

It was then determined that the two employees printed patient “face sheets” – the summary that may include a patient’s name, address, Social Security number, phone number, health insurance information and physician names and diagnosis – outside of their normal job duties.

Hospital officials said that they couldn’t notify the patients until today because it could have impeded law enforcement’s investigation.

Florida Hospital officials did not say whether the two employees face criminal charges.

The hospital has made more information available on its Web site and is encouraging affected patients to regularly review their benefits statements from their health insurers.

“If they identify services on the explanation of benefits that they did not receive, please immediately contact the insurer,” the hospital said in a statement.

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