U.S. Attorney: Butler woman tried to embarrass people with medical records

A 62-year-old woman working with private medical records shared that information in order to embarrass and distress the people, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh.

Linda Sue Kalina, of Butler, was sentenced to a year in federal prison followed by three years of supervision for violating health privacy law.

Prosecutors said for about 14 months in 2016 and 2017, Kalina worked as a patient information coordinator for the UPMC-affiliated Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers at Mars. She violated the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPA) by getting health records for 111 people, “none of whom had been patients of TRMC and many of whom were co-workers, former classmates and relatives,” the government said.

According to federal records, the information included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and medical data.

Kalina was fired from TRMC. Then she worked for about a month for Allegheny Health Network, apparently without telling anyone about being fired, until she was caught disclosing personal health information for two people whose records she didn’t have authority to access “with the intent to cause them embarrassment and mental distress.”

Allegheny Health fired her six days later.

According to court records, she could have received a stiffer sentence, but when she pleaded guilty to one count the government dismissed five others.

Documents related to sentencing have been sealed from public view. A federal official who released the news wasn’t available for questions.