A laptop containing personal information of 1,891 SIU [Southern Illinois University] HealthCare patients is presumed stolen.
The computer, which belonged to a former SIU orthopedic surgeon, was discovered missing from a locked office on October 15.
SIU HealthCare said today that certain personal and medical information of 1,891 patients was contained on the laptop.
SIU HealthCare has mailed a letter to each patient who may have been affected. They have not received any reports that the information has been accessed or misused.
SIU said the data may include full name, date of birth, age, admission date, medical record number, diagnosis, procedural code and/or health information about specific patient treatment with Dr. Mark P. McAndrew. The laptop did not contain financial information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers.
SIU officials are investigating the presumed theft.
There doesn’t seem to be any notice on SIU’s web site at this time.
If the doctor was no longer affiliated with SIU, why were all the data still on the laptop, and why were they unencrypted or not encrypted sufficiently?
Update: The State Journal-Register has more details on the incident.