Oklahoma Health Dept. Data Breached

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is notifying almost 133,000 individuals of a breach of protected health information. An agency laptop along with personal items were stolen from an employee’s car on April 6 and notification letters starting being mailed on April 11.


The Oklahoma State Department of Health is notifying almost 133,000 individuals of a breach of protected health information. An agency laptop along with personal items were stolen from an employee's car on April 6 and notification letters starting being mailed on April 11.

That may be a record turnaround time under the breach notification rule that requires affected patients be notified within 60 days of a breach discovery. The laptop contained a database, related to the Oklahoma Birth Defects Registry, that held data from hospital medical records of 35,000 children. Fifty paper files containing abstracted medical information also were stolen.

Compromised information on patients and family members included name, mailing address, Social Security number, medical record information, laboratory and other test results, and tribal membership. The department is offering free identity protection services to affected individuals. More information is available here.

--Joseph Goedert

 

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