Medical files from many Wasatch Front sites

AMERICAN FORK — A Dumpster photographed by KSL Newsradio in American Fork full of medical files is now the focus of an investigation by Intermountain Health Care, University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics and the state Attorney General's Office.

"We will take very aggressive steps to make sure we find out where these documents came from," said University of Utah Hospital spokesman Christopher Nelson when he first saw the pictures.

All three groups have since tracked down the source of the papers. They come from radiology departments located in hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices all along the Wasatch Front.

Many of those medical offices contract with a refining company to recycle the X-ray materials.

The company then passes some of this material on to small sorting companies. There the X-rays are separated from the accompanying medical files.

Utah Hospital Association spokeswoman Jill Vicory says the paperwork that accompanies the X-rays is typically information that identifies the patient. "Most likely a Social Security number, name and (the papers) also could possibly have information regarding their insurance number if that's different from their Social Security number."

The Dumpster in question is next to Affinity Services in American Fork where X-rays are sent to be sorted for recycling. Affinity Services President and Executive Director Gary Golding told KSL Newsradio he wasn't doing anything illegal and was just following guidelines.

When asked why KSL Newsradio saw the Dumpster unlocked repeatedly, at times with the lid wide open, Golding said each must have been an isolated incident.

"It could have happened when they came and dumped it that morning and we just didn't get the lock back on in time," Golding said. He then added they would ask the company that picks up the bin to get better lids that didn't have such wide openings, "because even with a lock on there, somebody if they wanted to could, I guess, dig in there."

After a visit from a Utah Attorney General's Office investigator, a lock was placed on the Dumpster. The bin has since been moved into a building where it's no longer accessible to the general public.

Now it's up to the groups investigating to see what the next step will be. Utah Assistant Attorney General Richard Hamp says Utah's new law that civilly penalizes companies for mishandling personal information doesn't take effect until next year.