Indiana Internal Medicine Consultants

A laptop computer that contained the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of approximately 20,000 individuals was stolen from the covered entity's (CE) laboratory manager's office. The ePHI involved in the breach included patients' names, dates of birth, clinic identification numbers, and laboratory results. Following the breach, the CE reported the theft to the building management company. The management company investigated the theft and determined that cleaning personnel had stolen the laptop. The company reported that the patient information was not compromised, as the database could not be accessed without propriety software and specialized assistance. As a result of OCR's investigation, physical security was improved by housing the replacement laptop in a locked drawer in a locked office with limited staff access. The CE also implemented a new policy prohibiting the storage of PHI on the laptop computer and updated additional policies and procedures to enhance safeguards for systems containing PHI.