HHS OCR report ยท 2015
Cottage Health data breach
OCR report facts
- Covered entity
- Cottage Health
- Entity type
- Healthcare Provider
- State
- California
- Individuals affected
- 11,000
- Submission date
- Dec 1, 2015
- Type of breach
- Unauthorized Access/Disclosure
- Location of breached information
- Network Server
- Business associate present
- No
- Status
- Archive (closed)
OCR description
Cottage Health has agreed to pay $3 million to OCR and to adopt a substantial corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Rules. Cottage Health operates Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, in California. OCR received two notifications from Cottage Health regarding breaches of unsecured electronic protected health information (ePHI) affecting over 62,500 individuals, one in Decem...
Text as published on the HHS OCR breach portal.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were affected by the Cottage Health data breach?
The report to HHS OCR lists 11,000 individuals affected.
When was it reported to HHS?
It was submitted to HHS OCR on Dec 1, 2015.
What type of breach was it?
The OCR portal lists the type of breach as Unauthorized Access/Disclosure, with the breached information located in: Network Server.
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 Cottage Health 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 Cottage Health.