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Penobscot Community Health Care unintentionally shared patients’ information with the wrong people, the healthcare provider confirmed.
Two parents of children who go to Penobscot Pediatrics, a PCHC practice, told the Bangor Daily News they were mistakenly given access to other children’s profiles in their patient portals.
“PCHC is investigating isolated cases of patient information being sent to unintended recipients,” the provider said in a statement to the BDN. “PCHC takes patient privacy very seriously and manages its reporting and notification obligations according to privacy law.”
It’s unclear how widespread the issue is or what caused it, though the contact information errors coincide with PCHC’s transition to a new electronic medical record system. The provider urged any patient concerned about the status of their health information to contact PCHC.
Samantha Ritchie, whose son used to be a patient at Penobscot Pediatrics before the family moved out of state, said she started getting appointment reminders from the healthcare provider a few weeks ago for children that were not hers.
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Ritchie logged into her PCHC portal earlier this week and found details there about two children unrelated to her, including appointment details, notes and personal information like their addresses, she said.
She reported the issue to PCHC and was told Tuesday that her contact information had been removed from the incorrect charts, but received two more calls Thursday from someone who started sharing what seemed to be another child’s medical test results without verifying her identity, she said. After following up with the provider again, she was told the issue had been resolved.
PCHC did not respond to a question about its policy for verifying identities of patients or guardians over the phone.
“I still worry about my own son’s info too,” Ritchie said, wondering if another parent could have mistakenly been given access to her child’s portal. She suggested fellow parents of Penobscot Pediatrics patients should call and ask what contact information is associated with their accounts so they can remove any incorrect phone numbers or emails.
PCHC recently switched its digital record system. A banner on its website on Friday stated, “Our updated electronic medical record system is now in place, helping us better support your care. As we continue to refine workflows and improve processes, we appreciate your patience and kindness along the way.”
Another parent, Hannah Kraft, said she went to her daughter’s appointment at PCHC about two months ago and was asked about setting up a new patient portal because the provider had switched systems. She got home, registered for an account and saw another child’s profile, including medical information, she said.
“I was like, this is not okay that I have all this,” Kraft said. She called to inform PCHC of the mistake and the provider removed the other child from her account, saying it was a mistake associated with the new system, Kraft said.
Her actual child disappeared from the portal as well, so she plans to set the account up again at her daughter’s next appointment, she said.