OHIO COMPUTERS STOLEN http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/06/ohiohealthpatientdataexposed.html?sid=101

COMPUTER THEFT BY EMPLOYEE

OhioHealth patient data exposed

Thursday, January 6, 2011  02:51 AM

BY SUZANNE HOHOLIK

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

OhioHealth officials announced yesterday that they will provide one year of credit protection to anyone who was a patient at Grant Medical Center from Jan. 1, 2008, through Nov. 5, 2010.

Mark Hopkins, a spokesman for OhioHealth, which owns Grant, said an employee stole computers from an inventory storage facility that contained patient health information.

The employee, who has since been fired, "tried to clean the hard drives and resell them," Hopkins said.

The hospital system reported the theft to Columbus police on Nov. 16.

Lt. Mike Woods of the burglary bureau said police recovered a laptop, four desktop computers and five monitors from a local computer store. The stolen items were returned to OhioHealth.

Hopkins said it's unlikely any patient information was accessed because it was encrypted and password-protected.

He said he had no idea how many patients are affected.

Grant admits 22,000 to 23,000 patients each year, Hopkins said. Those numbers do not include people who received outpatient care or those who were discharged from the emergency room.

OhioHealth has set up a hot line for patients worried that they are affected. The number is 1-888-845-0818.

"We're sorry that this happened, and we're working on ways to make sure it never happens again," Hopkins said.

shoholik@dispatch.com