Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Northwestern Says Stolen Laptop Contained Patient Information

Nearly 3,000 patients were notified that their personal data may have been breached

A Chicago-based health care system is notifying nearly 3,000 patients that their personal information may have been on a laptop computer that was stolen in October.

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare began sending letters to affected patients Friday. The system operates the flagship academic medical center Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital and Northwestern Medical Group.

Northwestern officials say the laptop was inside an employee's vehicle that was stolen Oct. 21. The laptop was password-protected, but it was not encrypted.

The laptop may have contained patients' names, addresses, dates of birth, health insurance information and other information, including Social Security numbers. Officials say the laptop did not include credit card or bank account information.

The letter to patients says Northwestern is making sure all its laptops are encrypted to prevent future breaches.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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