Max M. Bayard, MD PC is notifying patients that their personal information was on devices stolen during an office burglary on August 5. The information included names, Social Security numbers, and some personal health information. Although the treatment-related information varies by person, examples include dates of birth, Medicare/Medicaid enrollment information, dates of treatment, types of treatment, and diagnoses.
“As soon as we discovered the theft, we notified law enforcement and are cooperating with their investigation,” Dr. Bayard wrote in his letter to affected patients.
Although the doctor is not aware of any misuse of the information, patients are being offered services with AllClear ID.
Following the burglary, Dr. Bayard, whose practice is located in St. Albans, Vermont, took steps to prevent a recurrence.
“..we changed the firewall password, and changed all software-related, login, and email account passwords. We are also taking additional steps to prevent this type of event from occurring in the future, including installing security cameras, securing the computers in a safe when not in use, encrypting all computers, and reviewing our policies and procedures for the secure storage of personal information. Our staff is being trained on these additional safeguards.”
A copy of the notification letter was submitted to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, here, and a notification to patients was posted on his web site.
The incident was reported to HHS as impacting 2,000 patients.