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Last updated on Tuesday, March 8, 2016
(BLOOMINGTON) - Premier Healthcare patients have been notified of a possible data breach after a laptop with personal patient information was allegedly stolen from their Bloomington office.
Officials say, more than 200,000 Premier Healthcare patients' names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other confidential information could be accessed from the stolen laptop.
According to a new release the laptop was discovered missing from Premier's billing department on South Liberty Drive on Jan. .
Officials say the laptop was password protected but the information may not of been encrypted.
Emails stored on the laptop's hard drive included documents with information such as patients' dates of birth, medical record numbers, insurance and financial information.
"Together, the information of approximately 205,748 individuals could potentially be accessed on the stolen laptop," according to the news release.
However, "there is no evidence to believe that the information on the laptop was the target of the theft or that any of that information has been accessed or used for fraudulent purposes," it said.
After a data breach, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA-covered businesses are required to notify affected individuals no later than 60 days following the breach. Patients affected by this data breach have been notified, and can call (877) 509-8356 or email HIPAA@premierhealthcare.org with any questions.
Premier is now working to encrypt all of its computers and is reviewing procedures on how such technology is protected, according to the news release.
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