July 15, 2024

Important notice about health information privacy matter

Kaiser Permanente is posting this notice to inform its Northern California members about a health information privacy matter that may have affected them. We have contacted impacted members directly via email or U.S. Mail to notify them of the incident described below. If you did not receive an email notification or notification letter and have questions about whether you were impacted, you can contact Kaiser Permanente at the contact information provided at the end of this notice.

What Happened?
On May 16, 2024, as part of our compliance program, Kaiser Permanente determined that a member of our workforce inappropriately accessed portions of patients’ medical records outside the scope of their job function. Upon learning of this improper access, we promptly began an extensive investigation and acted to prevent further occurrences by removing the individual’s access to the medical record system. The individual is no longer with Kaiser Permanente. We have reported these facts to federal and state agencies to meet our obligations under applicable laws and regulations.

We apologize that this incident occurred. We take the trust our patients place in us very seriously and work to ensure that trust is upheld in every interaction.

What Information was Involved?
Demographic information (including name, medical record number, address, email address, contact telephone numbers, and date of birth), medical information, and photos may have been viewed.

Social Security numbers or financial information were not included in the records that the individual accessed.

What We Are Doing:
We take the privacy of our patients very seriously. The individual who accessed these files is no longer with Kaiser Permanente. We are also reviewing our policies and procedures governing access to patients’ medical records to determine whether additional safeguards are needed to deter and prevent future incidents.

What You Can Do:
As stated above, Social Security numbers and financial information were not included in the records that the individual accessed. If you are still concerned about identity theft and would like more information on ways to protect yourself, please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

For More Information:
If you have any questions, concerns or wish to file a complaint with us, please call 1-800-464-4000, between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, closed weekends and holidays.