Laptop Computer Stolen From Salina Hospital (update 1)

No specific mention of patient data, but what are the odds….

Todd Pittenger reports:

Salina Police are looking for a laptop computer that is missing from Salina Regional Health Center.

Salina Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield says the computer was stolen from the Emergency Room sometime between 7:00 in the morning Saturday and 11:00 in the evening Sunday. The missing computer is a HP Compaq 6710b laptop.

Source – KSALLink

Update:   The Salina Journal  reports:

A laptop computer was stolen from the emergency room of Salina Regional Health Center over the weekend, but a hospital spokeswoman said no confidential information was stored on the computer.

The Compaq 6710B model laptop computer, valued at $1,400, was taken between 7 a.m. Saturday and 11 p.m. Sunday, according to the police report.

Beth Vinson, director of marketing for Salina Regional, said nurses used the computer to enter personal health information from patients. However, the personal information wasn’t stored on the computer; the computer was connected to the hospital’s main computer system, where that information was stored.

Well, that’s a tad more hopeful. Of course, their system does not totally prevent acquisition of the patient information if a keylogger or file-sharing application was on the laptop. But it’s certainly better than the alternative.