Briefly Mentioned: Coventry Health software glitch

In early January, Coventry Health Care had a software glitch that misdirected mail, including personal health records about participants in the University’s Choice Health Care Program.

Hundreds of benefit plans’ members have been notified by the University of Missouri (UM) Faculty and Staff Benefits.

“However, if you have received one of the original early January Coventry communications in error, we ask that you call Coventry Member Services immediately at 1-800-613-7721, and you will receive a postage-paid envelope for use in returning the misdirected mail,” Kelley Stuck of UM Faculty and Staff Benefits Programs wrote in an e-mail sent Jan. 24.

Members of the Catastrophic Medical Program and the Retiree Indemnity Medical Program are not affected by this incident along with all of the services included in mental health or pharmacy services.

The problem was brought to the attention of UM Faculty and Staff Benefits account holders Jan. 14.

Coventry was contacted immediately in order to find out more information about the incident. UM Faculty and Staff Benefits account holders wers sent a brief explanation on Jan. 20 of the situation.

On Jan. 21, they mailed letters to the affected employees to make them aware of the software glitch.

UM Faculty and Staff Benefits was initially alarmed by the incident, but has since taken measures, along with Coventry, to recover the mail that included personal information.

According to Stuck, the following measures have been taken:

Asking health providers to confirm the identity of individuals seeking services under their insurance number.

Carefully reviewing Coventry correspondence as they would their credit card statements to ensure services have actually been provided.

Contacting the Faculty and Staff Benefits Office if they suspect their insurance/member number has been compromised.

Coventry has been collaborating with the University since the malfunction in order to recover from this incident and implement a new system to prevent such an incident from happening again.

khardaway@unews.com