CT hospital's stolen laptop had more than 7K records
Hartford Hospital and VNA HealthCare, a home health agency that is also part of the Hartford Healthcare system in Connecticut, has reported the theft of an unencrypted laptop computer containing thousands of patients' personal information.
The Hartford, Conn.-based organization said in a release that the laptop, which had information on 7,461 VNA patients and 2,097 Hartford Hospital patients, was stolen from the home of an employee of Greenplum, a division of EMC that was providing data analysis services for the hospital.
The 601-bed hospital, which was notified about the theft on June 26, said there is no evidence that the patients' personal information has been misused.
"We profoundly regret this incident happened," the hospital said in the release. "Integrity and safety are two core values of both Hartford Hospital and VNA HealthCare, which go to great lengths to ensure that data transmitted or transported by their employees are fully encrypted to prevent unintended disclosure." Hartford Hospital and VNA HealthCare are notifying affected patients.
The Hartford, Conn.-based organization said in a release that the laptop, which had information on 7,461 VNA patients and 2,097 Hartford Hospital patients, was stolen from the home of an employee of Greenplum, a division of EMC that was providing data analysis services for the hospital.
The 601-bed hospital, which was notified about the theft on June 26, said there is no evidence that the patients' personal information has been misused.
"We profoundly regret this incident happened," the hospital said in the release. "Integrity and safety are two core values of both Hartford Hospital and VNA HealthCare, which go to great lengths to ensure that data transmitted or transported by their employees are fully encrypted to prevent unintended disclosure." Hartford Hospital and VNA HealthCare are notifying affected patients.
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.