HHS OCR report · 2017
Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery data breach
OCR report facts
- Covered entity
- Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery
- Entity type
- Healthcare Provider
- State
- California
- Individuals affected
- 15,000
- Submission date
- May 31, 2017
- Type of breach
- Theft
- Location of breached information
- Desktop Computer, Electronic Medical Record, Email, Laptop, Other, Other Portable Electronic Device, Paper/Films
- Business associate present
- No
- Status
- Archive (closed)
OCR description
A workforce member of the covered entity (CE), Advanced ENT Head and Neck Surgery, surreptitiously took pictures of patients, recorded conversations with patients, and made paper copies of patients’ legal identification, payment information, and paper medical records. The workforce member also stole several mobile devices containing electronic protected health information (ePHI) and in some cases, posted the breached information to a social media account. The breach affected approximatel...
Text as published on the HHS OCR breach portal.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were affected by the Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery data breach?
The report to HHS OCR lists 15,000 individuals affected.
When was it reported to HHS?
It was submitted to HHS OCR on May 31, 2017.
What type of breach was it?
The OCR portal lists the type of breach as Theft, with the breached information located in: Desktop Computer, Electronic Medical Record, Email, Laptop, Other, Other Portable Electronic Device, Paper/Films.
Is the investigation still open?
No. The report is in the OCR portal archive, which holds reports where OCR has closed its review.
Is a breach notice letter from Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery legitimate?
This site cannot verify letters. Check the sender against the organisation's official website and the HHS OCR breach portal, and avoid calling numbers or clicking links only listed in an unexpected message. See our guide on what to do after a data breach notice.
Source: HHS OCR Breach Portal, OCR export October 2026. Network USA is not affiliated with HHS or Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery.