MONTANA COMPUTER STOLEN http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_94661460-7145-57e2-8670-1548341b0588.html

Stolen laptop creates concern for OrthoMontana patients

By ROB ROGERS Of The Gazette Staff | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 5:45 pm | (6) Comments

OrthoMontana is scrambling to warn current and past patients that their personal information may be on a laptop computer that was recently stolen from the company.

The Billings orthopedic and sports medicine practice has sent letters across the city to those who may have been impacted.

"We ... have no reason to believe that your personal information was accessed or used inappropriately," the letter stated.

Roy Strong, CEO of OrthoMontana, said Thursday that the letter contains just about all the information the company knows about the theft.

The laptop was heavily encrypted — two sets of user names and passwords plus a "biometric finger scan" was required to access its files, he said.

A company investigation so far has turned up nothing that shows patient information has been accessed or misused, he added.

"We're always on top of our security risk," he said.

Record keeping and the securing of patient information at OrthoMontana conforms to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, he said.

"We work very hard at that," he said.

Contacted later Thursday, Strong did not respond to phone or e-mail messages with questions about how the laptop was stolen, how much data was on the hard drive or how many letters to patients were sent out.

Judy Beck, with the Consumer Protection division of the Montana Department of Justice, said identity theft is a real threat in the digital age.

"It's not that uncommon," she said. "It seems like people are trying to get your information all the time."

The state has what it calls the Security Freeze program to help  residents get protection if they feel at risk. By putting a security freeze on their credit files, residents can prevent those files from being shared with potential creditors, Beck said.

Beck directed anyone with questions or concerns about identity theft to the state's Consumer Protection website, which lists dozens of tips and guides for finding protection and getting help.  

Much of the second half of the OrthoMontana letter gave patients phone numbers to call and agencies to contact if they felt vulnerable or had questions about their privacy.

But, the letter added, "the probability that your private information was misused is highly unlikely."

Beck said if people had any lingering doubts, "Security Freeze is a pretty good idea." 

Contact Rob Rogers at rrogers@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.