The protected health information of 2,553 patients of Eye Care Surgery Center, Inc., of Baton Rouge, LA has been impacted following the theft of a laptop computer.
The missing laptop was noticed by the group on February 26, 2018 although it is not clear exactly where the device was taken from. The theft lead to Eye Care Surgery Center establishing a new multi-camera system at its offices, both inside and outside buildings. Steps have also been taken to employ the use encryption on most of the portable electronic devices used by Eye Care Surgery Center to prevent protected health information from being accessed in the event that any further portable electronic devices are illegally taken.
An iaudit was carried out to determine the types of information stored on the stolen device and the patients affected by the breach. Highly sensitive information including health insurance information, Social Security numbers, and financial details were not stored on the device and remained secure at all times. The breach was restricted to names, birth dates, and diagnosis history. No reports have been registered to suggest any of the information stored on the device has been used improperly
Affected clients have now been alerted of the breach by mail and the incident has been reported to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR).