By Joel van der Veen

ROSETOWN — The confidential records of around 900 patients were inappropriately accessed by a former employee of Heartland Health Region, administrators revealed last week.

The activity, which took place over a 14-month period, represents the region’s second major privacy breach within a two-year span.

Gayle Riendeau, the region’s vice-president of health services, told the Leader on Thursday that the investigation into the breach is ongoing.

She said the two incidents represent “two different situations under different types of circumstances and different types of systems,” but added that the region may be able to build on what was learned the last time around.

“We are expressing our sincere apologies to those affected,” she said. “Any clients that were affected are being notified.”

Letters have been sent by mail to all affected patients, informing them of the breach and outlining the region’s response.

Riendeau said an alleged breach of privacy was reported to staff, which was immediately followed up with a “thorough investigation” into the allegations.

According to a news release issued by Heartland, the employee accessed the patients’ personal health information via an electronic medical record system, which is considered a breach of privacy under The Health Information Protection Act.

The employee has since been terminated, and their professional association has been duly notified.

The region also stated that the office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Ministry of Health and eHealth Saskatchewan had each been informed of the incident.

Riendeau said the region would not identify where the offending employee was based or where the breach occurred.

In August 2013, an employee at the region viewed the personal records of 883 patients using the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS).

That staff member was disciplined for their actions; later that year, CEO and president Greg Cummings summarized the offence committed as “snooping” and said the actions had been addressed “accordingly.”

Riendeau said such violations of privacy are “a significant issue for us, and something we take very seriously,” adding, “Really, one is too many.”

The news release issued by Heartland listed several corrective actions being taken, noting that administrators are “confident that the steps underway will reduce the risk of such an incident occuring in the future.”

The actions being undertaken included the following:

• Reviewing and limiting access to ensure the security and safety of personal health information;
• Reviewing internal approval and authorization processes when new electronic systems are implemented;
• Reviewing existing provincial privacy impact assessments and/or implementing regional privacy impact assessments as necessary;
• Developing a process to regularly audit and monitor all electronic systems;
• Reviewing staff education related to confidentiality and the privacy and protection of personal health information.

Clarification: In a followup phone call on Friday, Riendeau indicated the terminated employee had worked for Heartland as a combined lab/x-ray technician (CLXT).

By Joel van der Veen

SASKATOON — By and large, the odds of a police officer in Canada busting down someone’s door and arresting them for unpaid taxes are pretty slim.

“Usually, the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t put out warrants for (anyone’s) arrest,” Cpl. Hugh Gordon told the Leader last week. “It just doesn’t work that way.”

However, this exact premise is being used in a telephone scam that has been reported in communities across Saskatchewan, including Davidson.

According to an RCMP press release, the approach used varies from call to call. In some cases, the caller will claim to be an RCMP officer, telling the target that they have a warrant for their arrest for tax-related issues.

In other cases, they will claim to be an employee with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) — or its previous name, Revenue Canada — and will threaten to send the police to arrest the target.

One call recorded in Davidson last week used a similar approach, informing the recipient in a robotic voice, “The CRA has decided to initiate legal proceedings against (your name).”

The call went on to state that a lien would be placed on the target’s assets and bank account in the next 24 hours “due to your inability to settle your dues” with the CRA.

“A bill collection officer will visit you to complete the paperworks (sic),” continued the call, giving the recipient the option of speaking to a representative.

According to the police, regardless of the approach, the caller will then attempt to collect payment for the alleged unpaid taxes over the phone.

Police are advising anyone who receives a similar call not to provide any personal information to the caller, and to end the call.

Cpl. Gordon, a member of the RCMP Integrated Organized Crime North unit in Saskatoon, said such calls have been reported to police there and in Regina.

Unless the calls are reported to individual detachments, he said, it’s hard to track which areas are being targeted, although he added he has read media reports that similar calls are being received in Vancouver and across Canada.

While the premise might seem ludicrous to people familiar with Canada’s taxation and justice systems, Gordon said, people who lack that education could easily be vulnerable to such a scam.

Of the callers, he said, “They’re just going down a list . . . They’re just trying to pick off whoever they can pick off.”

Gordon said that the elderly and young people alike may be potential targets for this scam.

He described the callers as professional and skilled at manipulating people, noting that they use the information they have — including names and addresses — and prey on their victims’ ignorance to scare and fool them into handing over money.

Even if most of the callers hang up or refuse to follow the instructions, he said, just one successful call could pay off handsomely, noting that one Saskatoon man, fearing he would be arrested, ended up losing $4,500.

Gordon said he suspects the scam may be connected with organized crime, and it’s likely the calls are originating from outside of Canada.

According to a news release on the CRA website, the agency noted an increase in such calls back in June. The CRA has advised that anyone who receives a call of this nature should hang up and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-654-9426.

The CRA website offers details on how to detect a scam call and what to do if you receive one. For more information, visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca/scrty/frdprvntn/menu-eng.html or call the SeniorBusters program toll-free at 1-888-495-8501.