Regulator-posted notice

Breach notice filed by Houston Methodist Hospital (September 2017)

Organization named: Houston Methodist Hospital Provisional: identity as filed, not yet matched to the directory
Type as the source lists it: Unauthorized Access/Disclosure

What the sources say

HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals) Primary notice

Posted on the HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals) with a submission date of Sept. 25, 2017.

Organization as reported: Houston Methodist Hospital, TX
Entity type as reported: Healthcare Provider
Category as reported: Unauthorized Access/Disclosure
Location of information as reported: Email
Submission date: Sept. 25, 2017
Observed by BreachRecords: 2026-10-18 16:15 UTC (revision 14046, row:5185)
Archived copy: Held in the private archive (provenance)

A workforce member sent an email to 1,359 patients without using the “blind carbon copy” or “bcc” field, which allowed the patients to see each other’s email addresses. The covered entity (CE) provided breach notification to HHS. affected individuals, and the media. In response to the incident, the CE updated technical safeguards and re-trained its workforce members on the proper use of email when communicating with patients. OCR obtained assurances that the CE implemented the corrective actions listed above.
The source's own words, from the revision above.

Figures, per source

1,359 individuals affected (total reported), as reported by the HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals), source date Sept. 25, 2017, revision observed 2026-10-18.

Each figure is one source's figure with the basis that source gave. Figures from different sources are shown side by side and are not added, averaged or chosen between.

Timeline

Source dates are the dates the sources give. Observation dates are when BreachRecords recorded each revision.

2017-09-25Submission date at the HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals)
2026-10-18Observed by BreachRecords (revision 14046)
2026-10-19Approved by a reviewer

Organizations linked by a reviewer

Houston Methodist Hospital Named as the covered entity Provisional: identity as filed, not yet matched to the directory Linked 2026-10-19, method provisional.

Archived evidence

3dbc27dd5742e041cc1e7fe18cc669e2901fbd3b86b7007ed27948ff4d406e1f
text/csv, 5,530,996 bytes, from the HHS OCR breach portal (HIPAA breaches affecting 500 or more individuals), retrieved 2026-10-18 16:15 UTC. Archived privately · Provenance · Source page

Records reflect source filings as of the dates shown. BreachRecords is not a regulator.

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