Palm Pilot stolen from surgeon's car contained patient information

Another incident added this week to HHS’s breach tool was reported by Jonathan Noel, M.D. of Indiana.

I could not find a web site or media coverage for the incident, but did find a substitute/public notice had been published about the breach in Paoli New Republican. The full notice is not available without subscription and login, but the part available in Google explains:

. Palm Pilot device was stolen from the vehicle of Dr. Jonathan Noel while parked … The data kept on this device included patient name, date of birth,

Of more help, I found a statement on another web site:

On or about the morning of July 13, 2011, my password-protected Palm Pilot device was stolen from my vehicle parked at the Scott County Memorial Hospital, while I was performing an emergency surgery. This device contained information for my surgical cases from December 27, 2007 through June 24, 2011. The data kept on this device included patient name, date of birth, surgical procedure name, diagnosis, and anesthesia. While it is very unlikely the password protected information was accessed, I feel that informing my patients is prudent.

Please be advised that at no time did this device ever contain information related to social security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, or any financial information.

This office, Scott County Memorial Hospital, and the Scottsburg police continue to investigate this potential breach as a criminal matter. Also, we are taking additional safety measures when any potential Protected Health Information is contained on any electronic devices. As a further precaution you could perform a credit history checks to ensure that your personal information and identities have not been compromised, if you feel the need.

If you have any questions about your current medical record call my office at 812-883-1708. Any concerns or questions regarding this potential breach of Protected Health Information can be directed to my attention, toll free, at (855) 251-4581 or by mail to Dr. Jonathan Noel, 505 West Homer St., Suite 102, Salem, Indiana 47167.

I apologize for any inconvenience this theft may have caused you and will make sure this won’t happen again.

Very truly yours,

Jonathan Noel, M.D.

According to the doctor’s report to HHS, the Palm Pilot held data on 2,059 patients.