The Vancouver-based Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington recently experienced a data breach affecting a large number of clients, the agency announced Wednesday.
During a routine check of data usage, the agency noted “an error in judgment” that resulted in the dissemination of client names and Medicaid ProviderOne identification numbers to a computer not affiliated with the agency.
The error occurred Jan. 15 and was discovered by the agency March 12, after which IT specialists took action to prevent further distribution of the affected data, which was limited to names and ProviderOne identification numbers, the agency said in a news release.
Clients were notified of the data breach in writing on Wednesday. The exact number of those affected was not disclosed.
Affected Medicaid clients may contact the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities at 360-735-5727 or aaadswrecords@dshs.wa.gov for more information. The agency serves the elderly and adults with disabilities in Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.
