A federal class action lawsuit has been initiated against the Board of Trustees of North Kansas City Hospital and the Meritas Corporation, alleging a data breach that affected over 500,000 individuals last year. The lawsuit asserts that the breach occurred in the Spring of the previous year but patients were not promptly notified, violating the hospital’s own privacy policy.
According to the lawsuit, North Kansas City Hospital failed to adhere to its privacy policy which promises patients timely notification in the event of a breach, as mandated by HIPAA regulations. Despite the policy stipulating notification “without unreasonable delay but within 60 days following the discovery of a breach,” patients were reportedly not informed for five months.
KCTV5 attempted to contact North Kansas City Hospital for comment but has not received a response thus far. The lawsuit, originally filed in Clay County Circuit Court, has been transferred to federal court.
The complaint highlights similar lawsuits across the nation involving Perry Johnson and Associates, a third-party vendor for health information utilized by North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas. This data breach incident underscores the increasing importance of data security and timely notification protocols in healthcare institutions.
