25K patients affected by stolen laptop
A laptop computer stolen from an employee of a Montana provider has put the personal information of some 25,000 patients at risk.
Headquartered in Helena, New West Health Services said the laptop contains current and former customers’ names and addresses, some of their Social Security and driver’s license numbers, and may contain their medical, credit card and banking information.
The stolen laptop “contained electronic files with personal information from past and present New West customers,” according to New West’s notification. “The computer was password protected, and there is no evidence to suggest that the information stored on the laptop was the target of the theft or that any customer information has been accessed or misused.”
New West said it would also offer one year of complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to individuals whose Social Security numbers were involved.
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.