Oct. 23, 2015

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ISSUES NOTICE 

OF DISCLOSURE

Contact: 
Olga Connor 
Olga.Connor@flhealth.gov
786-336-1276

MIAMI — In an abundance of caution, the Florida Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services in Miami-Dade (CMS-Miami) is issuing a federally required breach notice to certain patients of its clinics located in Miami-Dade County. No social security numbers, bank accounts, credit cards or other personal information werecompromised. Attempts are underway to notify 157affected CMS-Miami clients either in person or by mail. As more clients are identified the department will continue its outreach efforts. 

Four vendors who provide services to the CMS-MiamiOrthopedic Clinic at Jackson Memorial Hospital werefaxed clinic rosters containing the name, date of birth and CMS member numbers. Based upon the vendors’ assurance of immediate destruction of the information it is extremely unlikely that there will be any harm incurred as a result of the disclosure.

As a precautionary measure, clients are encouraged toreview their credit history for any fraudulent or suspicious activities they have not authorized. A free report can be obtained at www.annualcreditreport.com. If you identify any fraudulent activity contact the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office at 305-595-6263. 

In response to the disclosure, the department is implementing additional security training for its staff to reinforce the department’s Information Security and Privacy Policies and the HIPAA Privacy Rule in order to prevent future occurrences.

The security of patient information is of critical importance to the Department of Health. The department is committed to safeguarding confidential patient information.

If you have any questions, you may contact Lynda Anglade with Children’s Medical Services at 1-866-831-9017.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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