HOSPITAL: No info on breach

I remember when Kootenai Health decided to convert from a hospital district to a nonprofit. Critics of the transition cited that there would be no more open meeting and public disclosure requirements.

I read an article in The Press in May reporting that Kootenai Health disclosed a medical record breach in March. The personal, financial and medical diagnosis of thousands of patients was exposed. In August, I was informed that I was among those affected. The letter stated that it was from Kootenai Health but was actually from a company in Illinois.

The letter was word for word from the original press release back in May. No more facts were provided, only a website wanting my personal information AGAIN to sign up for their identity theft service.

With the new form of hospital governance, it appears there is zero public accountability and their plan is to wait it out in silence. How did the breach occur? Did an employee’s password get compromised? Did somebody plug in an unauthorized USB drive? Whose information was accessed? Will anyone be held accountable? Which law enforcement agency is handling the criminal investigation? Does signing up for this service relieve the hospital of any responsibility?

I did see that people have filed a class action lawsuit. Most of the time, I find them to be nothing more than a way for lawyers to profit but perhaps this is the only way to find out what happened. So far information has been severely lacking.

JOHN FLYNN

Athol