A laptop containing protected health information for approximately 6,000 patients was stolen from Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, N.H., according to a Union Leader report.
The breach occurred April 3, but was reported by hospital officials last week. PHI on the laptop included patient names, address, hospital account numbers, medical record numbers, physician names, dates of service, procedure codes and diagnosis codes. The laptop was locked in an employee's parked vehicle in Boston, according to the report.
Hospital officials said Speare Memorial mailed notification letters to 5,994 patients involved in the breach in late April. The delay in the mailing of the letters was attributed to the amount of time it took the hospital IT department to find out what PHI was on the computer.
Boston police are investigating the theft. Speare Memorial has also hired experts to assist in identifying additional safeguards to strengthen security protocols at the hospital, according to the report.
Read the Union Leader report on the data breach at Speare Memorial Hospital.
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The breach occurred April 3, but was reported by hospital officials last week. PHI on the laptop included patient names, address, hospital account numbers, medical record numbers, physician names, dates of service, procedure codes and diagnosis codes. The laptop was locked in an employee's parked vehicle in Boston, according to the report.
Hospital officials said Speare Memorial mailed notification letters to 5,994 patients involved in the breach in late April. The delay in the mailing of the letters was attributed to the amount of time it took the hospital IT department to find out what PHI was on the computer.
Boston police are investigating the theft. Speare Memorial has also hired experts to assist in identifying additional safeguards to strengthen security protocols at the hospital, according to the report.
Read the Union Leader report on the data breach at Speare Memorial Hospital.
Related Stories on Data Breaches:
UMass Memorial Employees' Pay Stub Data Exposed for 5 Months in Computer Access Breach
Minnesota's Fairview Southdale Hospital Missing 1,200 Patient Records
Data Security Complicates Privacy, Access to Medical Records