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 July 29, 2015.
- Organization as reported
- Prima CARE, PC, MA
- Entity type as reported
- Healthcare Provider
- Category as reported
Unauthorized Access/Disclosure
- Location of information as reported
- Paper/Films
- Submission date
- July 29, 2015
- Observed by BreachRecords
- 2026-10-18 16:15 UTC (revision 14743, row:5882)
- Archived copy
- Held in the private archive (provenance)
Two binders belonging to a former employee were discovered at Dave’s Beach in Fall River, MA on May 25, 2015. The binders contained the protected health information (PHI) of 1,651 patients of the covered entity (CE), Prima Care, P.C. The PHI predominantly consisted of names, dates of birth, diagnoses, admission and treatment dates, medical record numbers, and hospital account number. For three individuals, the PHI also included partial or complete social security numbers. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and the media. It also provided a dedicated telephone number for questions and free credit monitoring services to those with breached social security numbers. As a result of the breach and OCR’s investigation, the CE revised its policies and procedures related to uses and disclosures of PHI, safeguards, and the minimum necessary standard.