Medical Center Reports Stolen Laptop

For Release: January 21, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the Stanford University School of Medicine are notifying patients by mail that a password-protected laptop computer containing limited medical information on pediatric patients was stolen from a physician’s car away from campus on the night of January 9, 2013. This incident was reported to Packard Children’s and the School of Medicine on January 10. Immediately following discovery of the theft, Packard Children’s and the School of Medicine launched an aggressive and ongoing investigation with security and law enforcement, and began contacting patients potentially affected.

The medical information on the stolen laptop was predominantly from 2009 and related to past care and research. The patient data did not include financial or credit card information, nor did it contain Social Security numbers or any other marketable information. It did include names and dates of birth, basic medical descriptors, and medical record numbers, which are used only by the hospital to identify patients. In some cases, there was limited contact information. There is no indication that any patient information has been accessed or compromised.

Packard Children’s and the School of Medicine continue working diligently with law enforcement to recover the laptop.

Individuals potentially affected are being offered the option of free identity protection services, and a toll-free phone line has been established for any questions families may have. The number is (855) 731-6016, and is available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the School of Medicine strive to be industry leaders in the area of medical information security. As a result of this incident, we are taking additional steps to further strengthen our policies and controls surrounding the protection of patient data, including redoubling our efforts to ensure that all computers and devices containing medical information are encrypted.

Information page for patients: Notice and Frequently Asked Questions