TROY — On July 22, Premier Gastroenterology Specialists learned that names and addresses of some patients were inadvertently missorted on a list used to send notice to patients that one of the physicians will be leaving the practice.

As a result, the notice letter was mailed in an envelope with the intended patient’s name but with a different patient’s mailing address. The envelope contained the practice’s return address, and the letter enclosed in the envelope indicated that the intended recipient was a patient of Premier Gastroenterology Specialists. No other personally identifiable information was included on the envelope or in the letter.

Premier Gastroenterology Specialists is committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of all patient information. A review has been conducted, and safeguards have been implemented to prevent a similar mistake in the future. On Thursday, Sept. 12, Premier Gastroenterology Specialists mailed notice letters to affected individuals concerning this event.

Although the practice has no reason to believe that any information has been, or is likely to be, misused in any way, Premier Gastroenterology Specialists encourages all affected individuals monitor their credit history for unauthorized activity. Free credit reports are available to all individuals once a year and can be obtained by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. Additional information on how to protect your identity can be obtained by contacting the credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission or the Ohio Attorney General.

Patients with questions may contact the Premier Gastroenterology Specialists Privacy Officer at [email protected] or by calling toll-free 1-833-804-3446.