Eisenhower Medical Center Computer Stolen With Patient Information
Security personnel at Eisenhower Medical Center put new safeguards into place on Wednesday they hope will prevent future burglaries.
The action came after workers reported a television and a computer were stolen in mid-March.
An Eisenhower spokesperson said the staff reported the burglary on March 11, and at first only reported the television as stolen. The computer, which contained an electronic index of some of the medical center’s patients, was not reported stolen until three days later.
“We took immediate actions to secure data and increase security,” said spokeswoman Elizabeth Wholihan. “The reason we did not send the notification letters sooner, is we wanted to know exactly what happened, so we could put it in the letter. We needed to prepare for a mailing for more than 500,000 recipients and we needed to set up a call center where those who get a notification letter can call and talk to someone who can answer their questions.”
Wholihan said the computer did not contain any information regarding the patients’ medical conditions or treatments. There was no financial, bank, credit card or health insurance information on the computer.
After the robbery, Eisenhower moved patient data from individual computers to the hospital’s data center. Security personnel also reviewed access to the building after-hours.
Hospital officials will be revealing the phone number for the call center in the 500,000 notification letters that are being mailed.
According to the hospital, if patients believe they have been affected by the theft but have not received a letter, they can call 1-888-414-8022, sequence code 3620032811, for assistance.
