Inappropriate disclosure to vendor announced

DALLAS – Aug. 19, 2020 – UT Southwestern Medical Center has informed affected patients of an inappropriate disclosure of their email addresses through use of a third-party vendor. The vendor was used to send messages to patients about the reopening of its Ophthalmology Clinic, which had temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UT Southwestern considers the protection of our patients’ privacy of utmost importance, and we deeply regret the occurrence of this incident and any worry, distress, or difficulty that it may cause. Letters have been sent to the affected patients, who can contact the UT Southwestern Privacy Office at (214) 648-6080.

On June 23, 2020, email addresses were disclosed to a third-party vendor, MailChimp, which is not an approved vendor to handle patient health information, in this case email addresses. UT Southwestern recognizes the sensitive nature of our patients’ personal information, and we want to reassure those involved that we are fully committed to protecting the confidentiality of this information and that appropriate remedial actions and process changes have been taken to protect against future mishandling.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.