Ellington

In early February, an employee of the National Collection Office (NCO) Financial Systems Inc., a debt-collection agency that UW Medicine contracts with, violated security and compromised at least 50 confirmed contacts, and as many as 80 more are being investigated.

“UW Medicine was informed by law enforcement in early February that records containing Social Security numbers and credit-card information for a number of UW Medicine patients were found on a person who was arrested for an unrelated crime,” Tina Mankowski, director of the Health Sciences Center, wrote in an e-mail.

Mankowski stressed that no medical records were involved but that patients whose personal information was compromised could be victims of identity theft.

The King County Sheriff’s Office originally discovered the stolen financial information during a routine arrest, said Jim Laing, King County Sheriff’s spokesperson. King 5 reported the parole-violation-related arrest of a man whose girlfriend works at NCO. She was later arrested as well.

Upon hearing that patient financial information was compromised, the UW Police Department (UWPD) was notified, Mankowski wrote.

As of yesterday afternoon, UWPD officials were unaware of the incident, and both the UWPD and Mankowski were unsure of exactly when the report was made or where it currently is.

The matter of police jurisdiction over this crime is also uncertain. Although King County Sheriff’s deputies made the original arrest, Laing said they may not have jurisdiction over the rest of the investigation.

“Some of these places are in the City of Seattle, none in unincorporated King County,” he said.

He suggested that the UWPD should have jurisdiction over the case.

UWPD officials are not currently investigating the case and said they may not have jurisdiction either, even though the original crime was committed against UW Medicine.

“It’s a discussion that our department would have to have with the sheriff’s department,” UWPD Cmdr. Jerome Solomon said.

Police jurisdiction over a crime generally depends on where the victim is located, Solomon said, but the issue is complicated by the fact that the location of the crime and the location of the victim may be in separate jurisdictions.

There may also be different regulations related to jurisdiction over electronic crimes, he added.

Despite this incident, UW Medicine plans to continue working with NCO Financial Systems Inc.

“NCO has been a good business partner,” Mankowski wrote. “One of their employees violated security procedures, and NCO is working with us to contact patients and guarantors to determine if identity theft has occurred. We are working with NCO to put more stringent policies and practices in place.”

Reach reporter Natalie Johnson at news@dailyuw.com.