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| Baylor Health Care System warns some patients of possible identity theft |
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| MARIA M. PEROTIN |
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11/5/2008 - Thousands of patients of a doctors group linked with Baylor Health Care System are getting warnings that a laptop containing some of their personal information was stolen.
The Dallas-based company is notifying up to 100,000 patients that their names and other limited information was stored in a computer taken in September.
That includes about 7,400 Medicare beneficiaries whose Social Security numbers were on the laptop.
The computer was stolen in Royce City, when an employee of HealthTexas Provider Network left it in her car overnight. The woman was later fired.
"She should have, according to our strict policies, had that information encrypted," Baylor spokeswoman Nikki Mitchell said. "And she should have had the laptop on her person."
HealthTexas is a physicians group with more than 450 doctors, including some in Tarrant County.
Baylor is offering free credit-monitoring services to the patients whose Social Security numbers were on the laptop.
The company is sending letters to anyone whose name was on the computer.
And patients can call 800-554-5281 to find out whether their information may have been compromised.
Baylor has also promised $1,000 to anyone who returns the laptop, no questions asked.
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