Rather than fight a lawsuit, former dentist Joseph Beck of Kokomo has agreed to settle with the state by paying a $12,000 fine for violating patient privacy and federal HIPAA regulations after 60 boxes of records including patient names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, social security numbers, credit card information and more were found in a dumpster.

The discovery came about as part of an investigation by WTHR channel 13 Eyewitness News in Indianapolis, when the sensitive medical and banking information of nearly 6,000 patients from clinics in Kokomo and Marion was found dumped at a church on the south side of Indianapolis in 2013. The Indiana Board of Dentistry had already permanently revoked Beck’s license in 2011 following a state investigation into fraudulent billing and negligence, according to Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

“It’s really the responsibility of any physician or any professional to safeguard the records they maintain,” stated Zoeller. “We want this to send a strong message. Simply dumping his patient files showed further negligence to protect his patients.”

The lawsuit and settlement mark the first time the state has taken court action against a doctor accused of violating federal HIPAA privacy regulations, but it will likely not be the last. Last month, the AG announced new legislation that would expand accountability for data breaches.

The patient documents that were dumped were in fact not left there by Beck, but by a private company he hired to destroy the records. However, the AG’s office couldn’t prosecute the company because of current laws. Zoeller believes everyone involved in such a blatant data breach should be held responsible.

Source: WTHR