Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston is notifying patients that their confidential health information may have been breached after a BWH physician was held up at gunpoint and forced to turn over his laptop and cell phone.
Robbers demanded the doctor reveal the passcodes to unlock the devices, which contained information on patients who received treatment at BWH’s neurology and neurosurgery programs between October 2011 and September 2014. Patient names, medical record numbers, medications, treatment, and diagnoses were among the information stolen. The devices did not include social security numbers, insurance numbers, or financial account information.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and deeply regret any concern this situation may cause our patients,” said Cedric Priebe, MD, chief information officer at the hospital. “We have no knowledge that the information on these devices has been accessed, and we are reviewing related policies and procedures in an effort to determine if there are steps that may decrease the likelihood of this type of incident in the future.”
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