Winter Haven Hospital reports data breach caused by human error
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Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven, Florida, experienced a data breach due to an accidental email attachment sent by an employee.
According to the hospital’s Notice of Privacy Incident, the breach occurred on March 15, 2023, when an employee mistakenly attached a file from the cardiac rehabilitation department to an email intended for a patient.
Upon realizing the mistake, the employee contacted the email recipient, who confirmed they would delete the file.
This file contained sensitive information of other patients, including:
- Names
- Birth dates
- Procedures
- Service dates
- Phone numbers (for some patients)
- Email addresses (for some patients)
The number of impacted individuals is not disclosed.
Winter Haven Hospital has implemented corrective measures, such as enhancing security access to sensitive files, to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The hospital has started notifying affected patients via mail.
