Theft of patient information from the University of Michigan School of Nursing Nurse-Managed Centers
A lockbox containing backup tapes for our billing system was stolen from the University of Michigan School of Nursing Nurse-Managed Centers’ data facility in the School of Nursing Administration offices over the weekend of Sept. 7-9, though the facility door and the lockbox were locked. Only patients at two health centers – The Community Family Health Center, 1230 N. Maple in Ann Arbor and the North Campus Family Health Services, 2364 Bishop in Ann Arbor are affected.
Personal information related to our patients – including some patient medical information related to billing, plus names, addresses and other identifiers – was on these tapes. Some records also included Social Security numbers. The theft was promptly reported to authorities and is still being investigated.
At this time we have no further information on the identity or motivation of the person or persons who stole the lockbox. Because this information could be used in identity theft, however, we are notifying patients of this occurrence by letter this week so they can take steps to protect themselves. People whose Social Security numbers were on the stolen records were notified by a special letter. All letters were mailed today.
How can people protect themselves from possible identity theft?
Contact one of the following three companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. (Past feedback indicates that it is better to use the Web sites rather than the phone numbers, if possible.)
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
- Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
This is a free service and there is no charge to you. You only need to contact one company. The company you contact is required to contact the other two. Each of the three agencies listed above is required to provide you with one free credit report per 12-month period upon your request. It is always a good practice to regularly review activity on your account and to obtain your credit report from one or more of these companies. In addition, the government provides on-line guidance.
If you believe that your Social Security number or other personal information has been used fraudulently as part of this Nurse-Managed Centers theft, please contact Officer Jose Dorta at the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety at 1-734-763-1131 and reference Case #07-3121. You should also contact the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271.
Posted Friday, Sept. 14
