Stolen Laptop Contains Information on 14,000 Patients of Moses Cone Hospital

A laptop computer stolen from an employee’s car in March is cause for concern for over 14,000 past and present cardiology and orthopedic patients of Moses Cone Hospital, some dating back to 2004. Letters have been sent to the affected patients.

Law enforcement was notified that the information on the laptop included social security numbers and patient information, but was password protected and was in a software program that “requires considerable expertise and training to use,” states Lynn Matthews, the compliance and privacy officer at Moses Cone Hospital.

Patients should still monitor their credit reports regularly or sign up for a credit monitoring service as passwords can be cracked and software programs figured out. It all depends on how badly the thieves want the information and if they stole the laptop for the purpose of identity theft or merely for the street value of a hot laptop.