Data of 55k stolen from Indianapolis cancer facility

A laptop storing information on patients and employees of Indianapolis-based oncology practice Cancer Care Group was stolen.

How many victims? About 55,000.

What type of personal information? Names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and addresses, along with medical record numbers, and insurance and clinical information used for billing purposes.

What happened? A computer was stolen July 19 from the locked vehicle of an employee at Indianapolis-based Cancer Care Group. The computer contained backup media from the practice's computer server, including the personal information of patients and employees.

What was the response? Cancer Care Group notified those affected by the breach, and said it would improve its storage and security practices in the future. These includes plans to encrypt transportable media.

Details: Although the stolen laptop has not been recovered, the practice said it has not found evidence that the information was used.

Source: ibj.com, Indianapolis Business Journal, “Records for 55,000 patients stolen from oncology group,” Aug. 28, 2012.