News

Notice of Privacy Incident - 5/15/2023

Date: 05/15/23

Buckeye Health Plan is committed to protecting the privacy and security of our members' information. We are writing to let you know of an incident that may have affected your personal information and, as a precaution, to provide steps you can take to help protect your information.

What Happened

On March 29, 2023, a Buckeye Health Plan staff member received a report that member information was received by an individual in error.  An investigation into this incident began immediately.  We determined that on March 28, 2023, a Buckeye Health Plan Staff member was assisting an individual regarding claims payment questions.  While attempting to resolve the claims payment questions, the Buckeye Health Plan staff member inadvertently sent Explanation of Payment (EOP) electronic claim files to the individual.  The EOP files involved in this incident included some personal information.  At this point, we are not aware of any fraud or misuse of any of the personal information due to this incident.

What Information Was Involved

Below is a list of the personal information that may have been inadvertently shared:

• Name
• Medicaid Identification Number
• Provider(s) of the Healthcare Service
• Date(s) of Service
• Type(s) of Healthcare Service

Social Security Numbers and member financial information were NOT included.

What We Are Doing

We immediately outreached to the individual who inadvertently received the EOP files to obtain confirmation that the information received in error was destroyed.  We confirmed that the recipient destroyed the documentation by deleting the EOP files from the individual’s email.   Also, the Buckeye Health Plan staff involved in this situation have received additional education on how to protect member information.

What You Can Do

Notification letters were sent to affected individuals.  Please review the steps below that you can take to protect your information.

1. Please review the “Information About Identity Theft Protection” reference guide link, at the end of this letter. It describes additional steps you may take to help protect yourself, including recommendations from the Federal Trade Commission regarding identity theft protection details and how to place a fraud alert or a security freeze on your credit file.
2. If you received a notification letter, keep the letter for your records in case of any potential future problems with your health plan benefit or other records.
3. Review any statements you receive pertaining to your health plan benefits regularly and carefully.  If you see indications of any treatment or services that you believe you did not seek or receive, then call the member services number listed below.

For More Information

The security of your personal information is important to us.  We sincerely regret that this incident occurred.  For more information, or if you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us at 1-866-246-4358 (TDD/TTY:  1-800-750-0750).  We are available Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Sincerely,

Buckeye Health Plan

References:

• Reference Guide (PDF)