UW Medicine Data Breach: Call Center Offers Help

SEATTLE, WA - The information of nearly 1 million UW Medicine patients was briefly available on the internet due to a "data error," according to the health provider. Personal information like medical records and Social Security numbers was not released.

UW Medicine discovered the error on Dec. 26. The information was available publicly on the internet on Dec. 4. The type of information released included things like: patient names; medical record numbers; and where medical information was shared.

"The files contained patients’ names, medical record numbers, and a description and purpose of the information. The files did not contain any medical records, patient financial information or Social Security numbers," the health provider said in a statement Wednesday.

UW Medicine will alert each of the 974,000 patients included in the breach by letter.

In the meantime, UW Medicine has set up a call center to answer questions. You can visit it online at https://ide.myidcare.com/uwmedicine, or call (844) 322-8234 between the 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

The health provider operates more than three dozen clinics and primary care facilities between Olympia and Orcas Island. About 1.6 million patients visit UW Medicine outpatient facilities around Puget Sound each year, and Harborview Medical Center serves another 64,000 people annually.