Health Information Management

New Mexico notifies Medicaid members of security breach

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, May 17, 2010

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A thief stole a laptop that contained information on 9,600 patients from a New Mexico Medicaid program subcontractor, according to a New Mexico Human Services Department press release.

On April 9, West Monroe Partners reported an unencrypted laptop stolen from the trunk of a car in Chicago March 20. The laptop contained patient information including:

  • Names
  • Health plans
  • Identification numbers
  • Social security numbers
  • Provider identification numbers

The state Medicaid program sent notification letters to its members and set up a toll-free telephone line through DentaQuest, which subcontracted West Monroe Partners, to take questions. The letter explains how members can place a fraud alert on their accounts. That information is also available on the New Mexico Medicaid website.
 



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