Privacy breach impacts Red Deer hospital patients

An internal investigation has found that 2,158 patient electronic health records at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (RDRHC) were accessed inappropriately.

The records were in the Alberta Public Laboratories (APL) clinical lab at the hospital. The majority belonged to emergency patients.

Privacy officials with APL said there is no evidence the information has been used inappropriately and has not impacted patient care.

Affected individuals were mailed notifications on Oct. 3, 2019. There is a dedicated call-line available to through Health Link to address any questions they may have.

“APL takes the privacy and confidentiality of patient information seriously and non-work related access to patient records is a serious breach of confidentiality and a direct violation of APL privacy and information security policies,”APL CEO Craig Ivany said in a written release.

The breach was discovered during a routine audit in April 2019. An investigation into unusual login activity looked closer at a six-month period between December 2018 and May 2019.

A total of 30 staff members were reportedly involved in the breach and three are no longer employed by APL.