Health Information Management

Stolen computers contain data of 16,000 TX hospital patients

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, May 2, 2005

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The PHI of 16,000 patients may have been compromised when two computers were stolen from Gateway File Systems, Inc., a company converting paper medical records to digital files for Christus St. Joseph Hospital, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Information on the computers included patient names, Social Security numbers, and other personally identifiable information. An investigation by hospital officials concluded that the burglars wanted the computers-not the information the computers contained.

"We have no evidence to believe anyone's identity has been compromised because of this," hospital spokeswoman India Chumney Hancock told the Chronicle.

The hospital sent letters to all 16,000 patients informing them of the security breach and has since terminated its contract with Gateway.



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