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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 27, 2006 Stolen Providence medical data covered thousands of regional patients Note: A story in today's Mail Tribune newspaper included an incorrect phone number to call for information about lost medical records. The correct number is below. By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Providence Health System will mail letters to each of the 365,000 people whose confidential medical records were stolen from an employee’s minivan in late December. The records were those of people who have been patients of Providence Home Services, which includes home health care, hospice, home infusion and other services. No data for patients at any Providence hospital or clinic were lost, said Gary Walker, a Providence spokesman. Walker said the records include as many as 17,000 patients whose last mailing address was in Southern Oregon. The data include home-health patients as far back as 1987. Providence Home Services serves about 250 to 300 patients in an average month in Southern Oregon. The records were stored on computer disks and digital tape that a Providence information systems analyst took home to Milwaukie, said Detective Wendi Babst, a spokeswoman for the Clackamas County sheriff’s office. Someone broke a window to gain access to the computer disks and tapes. Advertisement Providence officials said it was customary for a manager or supervisor to take copies home as a readily available back-up. "We apologize to our patients and our community," said Rick Cagen, the Oregon regional chief executive for Providence. "We know that this is going to inconvenience many, and concern many more." The records, which were not encrypted, contained names, addresses, Social Security information and sensitive health information. Walker said it would be "difficult, but not impossible" for someone to gain access to the information. "In some cases the information is on proprietary software, and in other cases it’s password protected. "Someone would have to have significant computer skills to access the information," he said. Walker said people who are concerned about their personal information can call 1-888-284-8997 to determine how much data about them may have been lost. "The folks who pick up the phone can look up your name, see if you’re in the records, and see what information was on file about you," Walker said. More than 1,400 people had called the number by late Thursday, he said. The Oregon attorney general’s office said Wednesday that Providence may have violated state law. Any entity that compiles identity information on people must take reasonable measures to ensure against such a breach, said Jan Margosian, a spokeswoman for the office. The attorney general’s office also questioned why it took Providence more than three weeks to notify patients about the theft, which was reported on Dec. 31. Walker said Providence wanted to set up a response system to answer patients’ questions before making the loss public. "We wanted to do it right," he said. "It all takes time." Walker said Providence mailed 60,000 letters Tuesday, 100,000 on Wednesday and Thursday and will mail the final batch today. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail Stolen Providence medical data covered thousands of regional patients ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement