TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – A mix-up from a mail sorting machine is leaving some ProMedica patients worried about the security of their personal information.
Saturday morning, Maria Rodriguez opened a letter from ProMedica, which said she may be eligible for financial assistance to pay her bill at Flower Hospital. She goes there for blood tests to monitor her diabetes.
The cover letter had her name on it but two other pages, the financial assistance application, were from a woman from Monclova.
Rodriguez said, "I started reading the form and patient name, address, city, county, date of birth, phone number, social security. It was not my information."
She quickly realized that someone else had her sensitive information. It wasn't a simple mix-up, as Maria later learned a woman in Fostoria received her filled-in application.
"Oh I was devastated. I was absolutely devastated," Rodriguez said. "I mean it could have been a convicted felon who has it or anybody who could do anything with it."
Rodriguez contacted ProMedica, which admitted to the error. Spokesperson Jared Meade told us up to 14 people were affected when their mail sorting machine mixed cover letters from one patient with financial aid applications from others.
Meade said, "We are going to contact all the people who are affected to ask them to destroy the letter they've gotten. We have already changed the policy so in the future the applications will no longer have sensitive information on the forms."
ProMedica is offering free identity theft protection for everyone involved, for one full year.
