A former lab employee of Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health stole patients' personal and medical information, the health system said in a notice on its website.
On July 25, the health system's privacy office learned the employee had saved patient files to personal storage devices through external drives and emails, according to the notice. The information included such data as patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, diagnoses and medical treatment.
Legacy Health said the incident affected "only a small percentage" of patients who had tests done in its lab. The health system started mailing letters to affected patients Nov. 23.
"We sincerely regret any concern this incident may cause," the statement reads. "We addressed this issue in accordance with our disciplinary policies and the employee no longer works for Legacy Health. We also reported the incident to law enforcement and continue to work it."