"Department of Health Notification Regarding Decedent Information"
The New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) recently started notifying the public, out of an abundance of caution, about an incident that could have compromised some information regarding decedent health information. On March 6, 2023, DOH discovered a spreadsheet containing information about individual deaths in New Mexico had been sent to a journalist requesting such information subject to the Inspection of Public Records Act. The spreadsheet contained some protected health information about every death in New Mexico from January 2020 through December 2021. The DOH noted that the information released did not include the names, birthdates, addresses, or contact information of anyone. As a result of this incident, DOH urges individuals to be alert for any financial or other activity done in the name of a recently deceased person in their family. The DOH noted that they are working to enhance policies and practices to elevate the protection of patient information in the future.