Thefts at Stanford, Oregon hospitals jeopardize patient info for nearly 17K

Medical and personal information for a combined 16,500 patients is at risk following a pair of unrelated thefts last month at Stanford Hospital and Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. At Stanford, 2,500 patients were notified following the theft of a password-protected computer between July 15 and 16, Bay City News reported. Information on the computer included names, medical record numbers and, for some individuals, birth dates, treatment histories and Social Security numbers. At OHSU, similar data for more than 14,000 patients was stored on a USB drive stolen during a burglary of a hospital employee's home between July 4 and 5. According to the hospital, the employee accidentally brought the drive home in a briefcase, which then was stolen. OHSU officials don't believe the drive was a targeted item.