The Post Gazette
MONROEVILLE, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is investigating allegations that proprietary information from Monroeville’s 911 dispatch center was released in violation of federal privacy law.
An August 2012 complaint to the department’s Office for Civil Rights alleged the municipality’s emergency management service provided health information protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to a former police chief via email. The complaint also said generic user names and passwords were created to access a database of 911 callers’ medical information, giving anyone with that information the ability to anonymously access personal medical records.
Monroeville officials plan to hire outside legal counsel and a private investigator to handle the investigation. “Anyone who has called the police, called the fire department, used our [emergency medical service]” or was transferred to or from a Monroeville hospital could be affected by the breach, Monroeville manager Lynette McKinney said.