'We're sorry:' BlueCross BlueShield of TN sent customer information to wrong addresses

Frank Gluck, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is warning thousands of its current and former customers that a computer glitch caused the company to accidentally mail benefit information to their old addresses.

According to the company, the letters may have included customer names, member ID numbers, group numbers, provider names, claim numbers, dates of service and plan names. They may have also included eligibility information, including the types of coverage, premium and copay amounts, enrollment dates and application ID numbers, BCBS of Tennessee reported.

Nearly 2,700 customers were affected, according to the company. Social Security numbers and bank account numbers were not included in the letters, the company added.

The company blamed the mistake on a May 28 "system update" that caused the letter-mailing system to reprint and email some letters previously sent to members in 2019 and 2021. While they went to correct members, many of the addresses were outdated, the company said.

BlueCross BlueShield discovered the error on June 5 and has begun notifying customers.

"We’re sorry this happened," the company said in a letter to customers. "We fixed the mistake as soon as we knew about it. We’re also updating our processes to help make sure it doesn’t happen again."

The company is offering free credit protection services to affected customers. And, to date, BlueCross BlueShield said in a news release that it's not aware of any misuse of any customer information as a result of the mailings.

For more information, call 888-455-3824 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday, or email at Privacy_Office@BCBST.com.

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee sent customer data to wrong addresses