Queensway Carleton Hospital Data Breach: A Stark Reminder to Protect Your Personal Health Information
In a recent incident, Queensway Carleton Hospital reported a major data breach affecting over 100,000 patients. The breach involved the use of an Ottawa-based company’s cloud-based platform, which was used by the hospital over a two-year period starting in March 2021. Aetonix, the company in question, discovered last month that an unauthorized third party had gained access to an internal test environment where personal health information was stored.
In response, the hospital issued a public statement acknowledging the breach and stating that “Following a thorough review of the incident, Aetonix’s forensic investigation has concluded that the incident may have resulted in your personal health information being accessed or copied by an unauthorized third party.”
Reports suggest that patient data that may have been impacted include patient ID numbers, patient visit ID (account/encounter number), patient name, gender, date of birth, marital status, mother tongue, home address and postal code, phone number, email address, OHIP number and version, insurance policy number, health care providers, scheduled surgical appointments, past medical history, and procedure description. The hospital has confirmed that it has stopped using the platform, and as yet, there is no evidence that the information has been misused.
The hospital is sending individual letters to around 100,000 patients who may potentially be impacted. However, the hospital stated that its electronic medical records and patient portal were unaffected, and no financial or banking information was accessed.
Data breaches are becoming increasingly common, but when an organization, such as a hospital, experiences a breach, it can pose a serious and severe risk to individuals. We all have the right to secure our privacy, and it is vital that we consider carefully the type of details we are giving to organizations. At the end of the day, it is the company’s responsibility to handle and protect the data of their users, but users also need to be extra safe and careful while giving their data to any organization.
In conclusion, this latest data breach serves as a stark reminder of the importance of protecting personal health information. As individuals, we must be vigilant and take steps to safeguard our personal data, and organizations must ensure they are doing everything they can to protect the data of their users. Only by working together can we hope to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.