This privacy incident impacted a total of 395 individuals residing in Arizona, California, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Traditions Health, LLC (“Traditions”) takes the privacy and security of our patients’ information very seriously. This notice concerns a matter involving some of that information.
On December 6, 2023, we discovered that prior to her separation from employment with Traditions, a former Traditions employee impermissibly emailed an admissions report, non-admissions report, agency summary, referral report, and discharge report on April 15, 2021, to her personal email. The former employee disclosed this information to her legal counsel in an unrelated case involving Traditions and the former employee. Traditions discovered this incident when the information was produced to Traditions’ outside legal counsel in the unrelated case. We immediately took steps to contain the issue via a written declaration to the former employee confirming that the patient information will not be further misused or disclosed and will be irretrievably destroyed.
Traditions also began an investigation to determine how and why the incident occurred and the types of information disclosed. Our investigation indicated that some patient information was involved in the incident and may have included patient names, age, zip code, medical record numbers, referral information, admission information, non-admission information, payor type, service dates, and/or other information related to care received at Traditions.
While we are not aware of any misuse of the information, as a precaution, we recommend affected patients review the attachment to this notice (“Steps You Can Take to Further Protect Your Information” or “Protecting Deceased Individuals’ Information”) for steps patients or their loved ones may take to protect themselves or their loved ones from potential harm resulting from the incident.
We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause. To help prevent something like this from happening again, we are reinforcing education with our staff on patient privacy, reminding staff of their confidentiality obligations, and we are exploring additional solutions related to potential IT system restrictions.
For individuals seeking more information or who have questions, please call the dedicated toll-free helpline at 1-833-889-1206, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Sincerely,
Shane Campbell
Chief Compliance Officer
We remind you it is always advisable to be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies is as follows:
If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in your state. You can obtain information from these sources about steps an individual can take to avoid identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors to correct your records. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:
If your health insurance or medical information was involved, it is also advisable to review the billing statements you receive from your health insurer or healthcare provider. If you see charges for services you did not receive, please contact the insurer or provider immediately.
Fraud Alerts and Credit or Security Freezes:
Fraud Alerts: There are two types of general fraud alerts you can place on your credit report to put your creditors on notice that you may be a victim of fraud—an initial alert and an extended alert. You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft. An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for one year. You may have an extended alert placed on your credit report if you have already been a victim of identity theft with the appropriate documentary proof. An extended fraud alert stays on your credit report for seven years.
To place a fraud alert on your credit reports, contact one of the nationwide credit bureaus. A fraud alert is free. The credit bureau you contact must tell the other two, and all three will place an alert on their versions of your report.
For those in the military who want to protect their credit while deployed, an Active Duty Military Fraud Alert lasts for one year and can be renewed for the length of your deployment. The credit bureaus will also take you off their marketing lists for pre-screened credit card offers for two years unless you ask them not to.
Credit or Security Freezes: You have the right to put a credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, on your credit file, free of charge, which makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. That’s because most creditors need to see your credit report before they approve a new account. If they can’t see your report, they may not extend the credit.
How do I place a freeze on my credit reports? There is no fee to place or lift a security freeze. Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a security freeze on your credit file at each credit reporting company. For information and instructions to place a security freeze, contact each of the credit reporting agencies at the addresses below:
You’ll need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and other personal information.
After receiving your freeze request, each credit bureau will provide you with a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze.
How do I lift a freeze? A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily lift it or remove it altogether. If the request is made online or by phone, a credit bureau must lift a freeze within one hour. If the request is made by mail, then the bureau must lift the freeze no later than three business days after getting your request.
If you opt for a temporary lift because you are applying for credit or a job, and you can find out which credit bureau the business will contact for your file, you can save some time by lifting the freeze only at that particular credit bureau. Otherwise, you need to make the request with all three credit bureaus.
The following steps are recommended to help protect the personal information of deceased individuals. Many of these steps may have already been completed. Typically, the Social Security Administration will notify the consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) of a death when they update their files. It is advisable to contact the CRAs in writing to notify them of the death, request that a “deceased” alert be placed on the individual’s credit report, and obtain a copy of the credit report for your records. A review of each report will provide information regarding active credit accounts that need to be closed, or any pending collection notices. The addresses for reporting this information to the three major CRAs are:
Contact all credit issuers, collection agencies, and other financial institutions where the deceased individual had accounts to inform them of the death. Each entity may have its own required notification procedures, but the following general information can serve as a guide:
Please note that the CRAs may require a court order or other paperwork to prove that you are the executor of an estate. Friends, neighbors, relatives, and others do not have the same rights as the executor or a deceased individual’s spouse. In most cases, these other individuals are considered third parties, and a CRA may not disclose credit reports or update a consumer file without authorization from the spouse or executor. CRAs may make exceptions for unique situations, which they handle on a case-by-case basis. You may write to the CRA to explain your situation and request assistance.
If you have reason to believe your family member’s personal information has been misused, you should contact the Federal Trade Commission. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:
You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors.