Hospital ex-employee subject of data inquiry

A former employee of Arkansas Children’s Hospital is under investigation in the misuse of patient information for personal gain, hospital representatives said.

Law enforcement notified the hospital’s administration May 9 that the former employee was under investigation, Hilary DeMillo, senior media relations specialist for the hospital, said in a news release. DeMillo said an internal audit of the employee’s accounts could not immediately confirm whether patient information had been accessed for business reasons.

Few details were released about the individual. Patients were encouraged, however, to review charges from the hospital and to contact their insurance company if they were charged for a service they did not receive.

No information about the number of patients affected or the scope of the misuse was immediately provided. Calls made to DeMillo and other members of the media relations staff were not returned Friday.

Alongside aiding in the investigation, DeMillo said the hospital has implemented “additional hiring controls” and retrained its employees on the procedures for accessing patient information.

“We were deeply troubled to learn about the alleged actions of this individual, which do not reflect the hospital’s values in any way,” Erin Parker, vice president of compliance, said in the news release.