Premier Healthcare warns of data breach after laptop theft

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) – Premier Healthcare is notifying patients of a possible data breach after a laptop with personal patient information was reported stolen from its Bloomington office.

The company announced Monday that the laptop contains the names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other confidential information of more than 200,000 patients.

The (Bloomington) Herald Times reports that the laptop went missing Jan. 4 from Premier Healthcare’s billing department. The laptop is password protected, but the information is not encrypted.

A news release from the company says there’s no evidence that the information on the laptop was the target of the theft or that the information has been used for fraudulent purposes.

Premier Healthcare says it’s working to encrypt all of its computers and is reviewing procedures on how such technology is protected.