Breach, Data Security

Stolen Medicentres laptop impacts roughly 620,000 patients in Canada

Canada-based Medicentres Family Health Care Clinics announced on Wednesday that the personal information of roughly 620,000 is at risk after a laptop belonging to an IT consultant was stolen.

The laptop contained the names, dates of birth, provincial health card numbers, billing codes, billing amounts and diagnostic codes of patients seen in Alberta clinics between May 2, 2011 and Sept. 19, 2013, according to a release.

Medicentres learned about the theft on Oct. 1, 2013, but according to reports, the laptop was stolen on Sept. 26, 2013. Medicentres is auditing security policies and procedures and implementing other security measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring.

All patients impacted are being notified, although nothing suggests the information was accessed, according to the release.

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