When Pure Weight Loss closed more than 400 stores, they simply told their neglected and bitter employees to box it all up and send it back. The employees – who had just been abruptly fired before Christmas – some of whom never got their final paychecks – were every bit as diligent returning those records as you’d expect them to be.

name
address
e-mail address
birth date (except year)
Social Security number
employee number
claim number
health plan beneficiary number

PHI includes written documents, electronic files, and verbal information. (Even information from an informal conversation can be considered PHI.) Examples of PHI include completed health care claim forms, detailed claim reports, explanations of benefits (EOB), and notes documenting discussions with plan participants.

FACTA-The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) is a consumer rights bill that became effective June 1st, 2005. All companies in the United States are affected by this legislative act. FACTA was designed to lower the risk of identity theft and consumer fraud. It enforces the proper destruction of consumer information, such as name, address, SSN, credit information. Also included in this bill is the necessity to destroy data *compiled* from this information. “Any person who maintains or otherwise possesses consumer information, or any compilation of consumer information, derived from consumer reports for a business purpose” in electronic or paper form must “take reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access or use of the information in connection with its disposal.” – or to “properly dispose of such information or compilation”.
FACTA basically requires that all businesses – regardless of size and industry – properly protect and dispose of the personal information they collect about their customers and employees.

I hope this helps.

LAWL employees/members: What information do they keep in your files?

Though reports of credit card #s and personal info is troubling enough.