Advocate Health System, in Park Ridge Illinois, reported a breach of patients’ protected health information in a letter mailed to impacted individuals last month.
On July 15, unencrypted laptops were stolen form a medical group administration building. Information on the laptops included patient names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and clinical information with respect to more than four million patients.
Had the laptops been encrypted, it is possible that the theft would not have been considered a breach under HIPAA.