FROM THE FOUNDATION

Redefining the Safety Net

Should California establish a Basic Health Program for certain low-income residents? CHCF's Marian Mulkey captures a recent policy conversation in a Health Affairs blog.

Accountable Care in Action

A new post on the Health Affairs blog details how CalPERS kept costs down in Sacramento through a "virtual" ACO with insurers and providers.

Career Opportunity: Senior Program Officer

This position will play a major role in furthering the goals and objectives of the foundation's Better Chronic Disease Care program.

Privacy

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

San Francisco Reports Data Breach Affecting Medi-Cal Beneficiaries

An employee dispute at the Human Services Agency of San Francisco has resulted in an information breach affecting about 2,400 Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the San Francisco Examiner reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program.

Trent Rhorer, the agency's director, said the breach occurred when a former San Francisco employee e-mailed records to her personal computer, two attorneys and two union representatives. The former employee, who had been terminated for performance issues, was attempting to demonstrate that she had faced a disproportionately high caseload, Rhorer said.

He noted that the records contained Medi-Cal beneficiaries' names, Social Security numbers and other identifying information. According to Rhorer, the records were "extremely contained" and did not include sensitive medical or health benefit information.

Rhorer said affected beneficiaries would receive letters about the breach (Begin, San Francisco Examiner, 2/4).



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