Chiropractic office loses files

A fire at a Tulsa chiropractic office has created a blizzard of loose medical records. After the fire, the building was left open, and the records from one of the doctors are literally blowing away.

Friday, March 17th 2006, 10:27 am

By: News On 6

A fire at a Tulsa chiropractic office has created a blizzard of loose medical records. After the fire, the building was left open, and the records from one of the doctors are literally blowing away.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan investigated what happened and says this story came to our attention because the neighbors were complaining about all the trash at 2511 East 51st Street in Tulsa.

The News on 6 checked it out and found the trash was medical records, containing health and identity information that could easily be used by criminals. The office burned last month.

The Tulsa Fire Department says it was arson. Since then the building has been left open and the records are all over the lawn. Even though it was last used as an office for Doctor Troy Cool - he was just a tenant in the building.

The loose records all belong a former doctor, Ed Billingsly, who owns the building. Friday, we tried to contact him without success. Doctor Cool says he removed all his office records the day of the fire - and that the other records don't belong to him. "I just want everyone to know that they're not, none of my patient records are down there."

After we asked the fire department about the unsecured building, they taped it off and asked Doctor Cool to have it boarded up. He did, and the building is now secure, but those medical records are still out there.

Of course, the law requires doctors - even ones who quit the business - to either hand off their records to someone else or destroy them.