A local mother is upset after learning her newborn child's medical information was stolen by a doctor who runs a private clinic.
Windsor Regional Hospital in a release has stated the privileges for a paediatrician have been revoked following the unauthorized access of certain patient information.
Through the regional electronic medical records system, hospital officials say the physician inappropriately accessed limited information about certain patients without authorization.
In some instances, the physician used that information to contact patients to offer private health care services at a community clinic unrelated to the hospital.
Immediately upon becoming aware of this issue, WRH initiated an investigation and the physician was directed to stop any unauthorized activity.
Hospital officials say there is no evidence that the physician exported, printed, or otherwise electronically took personal health information from the hospital system, or retained any personal health information.
They don't know how many families were actually contacted by the physician, but as a precaution, letters have been sent to over 800 families who gave birth to baby boys in the region between January and May of this year.
The matter was reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) and to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
In addition to no longer holding privileges to practice at WRH, the physician no longer has access to the electronic medical records system either.
Madison DeLong, whose second son was born in January, is one of the 800 people to receive notice that her baby’s data was "inappropriately accessed" by the pediatrician at WRH.
DeLong spoke to CTV Windsor, and says she received the initial call from the physician before Valentine's Day in February.
"I had received a call from an unknown number from a physician asking if I wanted my son circumcised at his private clinic. They didn't identify themselves because I shut down the call saying I wasn't interested, the call lasted less than 30 seconds," she said.
She says it was an incredibly weird call to receive, and that it didn't happen with her firstborn son.
"I was told that when you were interested in having your baby circumcised you would have to contact and outreach other clinics. When I got a called asking if my second son wanted to be circumcised I was a little bit concerned."
DeLong says she received the letter from the hospital last week.
"When I got the letter I didn't know what to do. I contacted my mother-in-law right away. I was just kind of mortified, and a little bit disturbed that a physician that was supposed to be trusted at the hospital was illegally accessing my baby's information," she said.
WRH and the Erie St. Clair Region Hospitals have policies in place regarding confidentiality and privacy of personal health information to ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws, and does not tolerate unauthorized access, use or disclosure of patient personal health information.
- with files from CTV Windsor
