Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VAMC

On February 11, 2013, a laptop was stolen from the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VAMC’s Pulmonary Testing Unit. The laptop contained the protected health information (PHI) of approximately 7,405 individuals, including names, dates of birth, and clinical information. The covered entity (CE) provided breach notification to HHS, the media, and affected individuals, and issued substitute notice by placing a notice on its website. It also offered credit monitoring, including identity theft protection for one year. The CE opened a report with the VA police and VA Office of Inspector General (OIG). To prevent future occurrences, the CE improved physical safeguards for all laptops attached to medical testing devices. Additionally, procedures were implemented for secure storage and removal of all personally identifiable information from such medical devices. OCR obtained assurances that the corrective actions listed above were completed.