Hospital: Worker wrongly viewed 1,300 records

Hospital: Worker wrongly viewed 1,300 records

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A hospital system in western Pennsylvania is notifying nearly 1,300 patients that their records were viewed inappropriately by an employee.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center says patient care was not affected.

Hospital officials say the accessed data includes names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and treatment and diagnosis information.

The motive for viewing the records was not immediately clear. The employee reportedly told officials that she did not store or use the information for financial gain.

A statement posted Wednesday on UPMC’s website says the worker at the hospital’s McKeesport branch has been fired.

According to the statement, another worker alerted management to the breach in early November.

The hospital says local and federal authorities have been alerted.