More than 15,700 patients in Long Beach and Pasadena may have had their medical records compromised after
19 computers were stolen from a Torrance-based health-care provider.
HealthCare Partners sent out letters to those clients notifying them of two separate burglaries in April, including 11 machines stolen from one of its Pasadena offices and eight from its Long Beach office.
Along with patients' medical records, private information was stored on the stolen computers, including birth dates, addresses and other information, said Leo Dittemore, director of information services for HealthCare Partner's security department.
"The biggest fear is an identity theft problem, that someone could, if they got into the systems, use that information to create credit accounts," Dittemore said.
The company contacted Long Beach Police on April 18 regarding the burglary at its office at 2600 Redondo Ave., said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Staff at the office told investigators that everything was fine when they locked up the location the previous Friday, which was April 15.
When they arrived that Monday morning, they found that someone had forced entry into the office, Pratt said.
In addition to the eight computers that were stolen, the burglars took cash, checks and credit cards from the location, she said.
Due to the similarities in the break-ins at the Pasadena office and the Long
Beach location, Long Beach Police Department detectives believe the crimes are related and the investigation is on-going, Pratt said.
Local police urged anyone notified that their information might have been comprised from the break-in to check their credit card statements and credit reports.
Dittemore said the thieves could use the information to raid patients' bank accounts, or to launch other forms of fraud, he said.
"They could send them an email notice or letter making it look like it's from HealthCare Partners, asking them to provide more personal information, and do something inappropriate with that," Dittemore said.
So far, no HealthCare Partners clients have reported any instances of fraud linked to the computer thefts, he added.
He estimated the burglaries cost the company $10,000. In addition, a safe containing 16 checks from patients was stolen from the Long Beach office, along with some credit card receipts. The receipts, however, did not contain full credit card numbers, the company said.
Meanwhile, HealthCare Partners has offered clients an identity protection service provided by an outside vendor for one year, at no cost. It includes $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage, and fraud resolution services. The vendor also will monitor clients' credit and provide credit alerts by telephone.
HealthCare Partners clients with concerns can call a hot line, 877-427-9288.
Anyone with information about the crimes was asked to call LBPD Burglary Detectives at 562-570-5559.
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