Oct. 11, 2023
Recently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) mailed letters to members with self-funded employer group health plans or with past or current health insurance coverage with BCBSTX. These letters were to inform you of a recent incident that involved your protected health information (PHI) as required under the law.
What Happened? On September 12, 2023, we became aware that your PHI was inadvertently disclosed to the wrong party on August 31, 2023. We have investigated the incident and determined that due to an individual processing error, your member ID card was sent to an incorrect party.
What Information Was Involved? The information that was disclosed included your name, subscriber number and group number.
What We Are Doing. To minimize any harm, the recipient was advised to destroy the PHI. In addition, the disclosure issue was corrected, and Management is reinforcing with staff the importance of adhering to departmental, divisional or corporate policies and procedures to prevent disclosures of this nature from occurring in the future.
What You Can Do. BCBSTX takes the confidentiality of our members’ data very seriously and we regret that this incident occurred. We have no reason to believe that anyone has accessed or misused your information. However, we want to make you aware of steps you may take to guard against identity theft or fraud. If you receive or access explanation of benefits statements (EOBs) from BCBSTX, we recommend that you regularly review these statements. If you see any service that you did not receive, please call us at the number found on the statement or on your member identification (ID) card. If you do not receive or access EOBs, contact your provider or plan and request that they send you a statement following the provision of any services under your name and ID number.
For More Information. If you believe that your PHI has been misused or have any questions regarding this letter, please call the toll-free number listed on your member ID card. A representative is available to assist you.