2026 Erlanger Health — Western Carolina anesthesia billing misroute; 4,237 patients
Data compromised
Per Erlanger notice: names, birth dates, medical record numbers, mailing addresses, emails, phone numbers, hospital account numbers, insurance and guarantor information, dates of service, and limited surgical operative-note data; SSNs not included
Technical writeup
Verified healthcare data breach — disclosed July 2026. Erlanger Health discovered May 13, 2026 that protected health information for Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital patients who received anesthesia care may have been compromised. Investigation found Western Carolina anesthesia patient data was inadvertently included in information sent to a billing partner used by Erlanger's Tennessee campuses between July 1, 2025 and May 27, 2026. Erlanger's public notice states impacted categories may include names, medical record numbers, insurance and guarantor details, contact information, and limited surgical operative notes; Social Security numbers were not involved. The U.S. HHS OCR breach portal lists Erlanger Health with 4,237 individuals affected, submitted July 1, 2026, as unauthorized access/disclosure of electronic medical records. Erlanger reported no evidence of misuse and established a toll-free assistance line at 1-833-556-9291.
Root cause
Erlanger Western Carolina patient anesthesia data inadvertently included in records sent to a billing partner used by Erlanger Tennessee campuses between July 1, 2025 and May 27, 2026; discovered May 13, 2026