A computer containing health and personal information on 21,000 patients was taken from an office at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.
The hospital notified the affected patients in a letter from hospital President Thomas J. Lewis, who offered identity theft monitoring and protection.
According to the report, a federal database has documented 121 security breaches involving patient information nationwide since Sept. 2009. Experts estimate medical or financial information for more than five million people has been exposed in that time.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently increased penalties for violations of patient privacy, including fines for up to $50,000 per violation.
Read the Philadelphia Inquirer report on Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Read more on security breaches:
-Massachussetts' South Shore Hospital Loses 800,000 Patient Files
The hospital notified the affected patients in a letter from hospital President Thomas J. Lewis, who offered identity theft monitoring and protection.
According to the report, a federal database has documented 121 security breaches involving patient information nationwide since Sept. 2009. Experts estimate medical or financial information for more than five million people has been exposed in that time.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently increased penalties for violations of patient privacy, including fines for up to $50,000 per violation.
Read the Philadelphia Inquirer report on Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Read more on security breaches:
-Massachussetts' South Shore Hospital Loses 800,000 Patient Files