Error affects about 3,900 TennCare enrollees

An electronic error caused personal information for about 3,900 TennCare enrollees to be sent to incorrect addresses statewide, but officials for the expanded Medicaid program said Friday they’ve taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The error resulted from a modification to the system that pulls addresses into an electronic file for TennCare, officials said.
Letters and cards containing one or more pieces of personal information—such as Social Security numbers—were sent to incorrect addresses.
However, TennCare director Darin Gordon said officials noticed the problem early and stopped additional mailings.
“We worked closely with other state agencies to correct the information in the system, investigate how the error occurred and determine how many enrollees were affected,’’ Gordon said. “We also have put in place protocols to help ensure such an error doesn’t occur again.’’
Enrollees whose personal information was affected will be notified by mail the week of Feb. 22, officials said. Included in the mailing will be the type of information disclosed and detailed information on how to sign up for theft safeguards that are being offered.
A call center—operated by Kroll Fraud Solution Customer Service Specialists—will also be set up to answer further questions about the incident.
“On a daily basis, we receive more than a million electronic records from entities with which we do business,’’ Gordon said. “We have systems in place to ensure that data is correct. Unfortunately, in this case, the files were corrupt. The quick action taken by staff who detected the issue, however, prevented the situation from escalating further.’’
The records of the affected enrollees were immediately corrected in the system, and the information was re-mailed to the correct addresses, officials said.