Johns Hopkins believes identity theft of patient information was averted

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Officials at Johns Hopkins reportedly recovered a stolen computer containing patient information and believe it is highly unlikely any information was accessed or compromised.

A steel cable-attached desktop computer containing various amounts of personal health and identifying information on 5,783 current and former patients of a tumor registry was stolen from the hospital July 15.

“We are still investigating, and will quickly bring in an independent information technology forensic expert to examine the computer and address our preliminary findings, but we think we will be able, upon independent verification, to assure our patients that their personal information is, with high probability, safe,” Ronald Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, said in a statement Tuesday.

“Video surveillance cameras and other investigative means were used by Johns Hopkins Medicine security officers to identify two suspects who have now been issued criminal citations for felony theft,” Johns Hopkins spokesman Gary Stephenson said.

Baltimore lawyer Michael Mastracci arranged the return of the computer at 4 p.m. Saturday after the news of theft and personal information became public.

“From both a moral standpoint and in preparing a defense, you want to have stolen property returned to its owner as soon as possible,” Mastracci told The Examiner. He could not confirm Tuesday afternoon who his client was or the client’s connection to the theft because of attorney/client privilege but was hoping to avoid legal charges.

He gave the equipment to Johns Hopkins security officials.

Johns Hopkins Medicine Security and Baltimore police identified two employees — one working for a vendor — involved in the theft.

Investigators believe the computer was likely taken for its hardware value and not for the information it contained, according to information released from the hospital.

That information included Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, names, dates of birth, addresses, gender, race, diagnoses, and other illnesses and data on patients listed in a patient database.

Johns Hopkins has sent notification letters last week to current patients and the families of those who died within the last six months and offered a telephone hotline to answer questions and free credit monitoring and other related services for one year to those who request it.

Reviewing electronic activity traces and other information on the hard drive, investigators believe the computer was not even turned on since the July 15 theft, according to the release.

An external, independent investigation of the information is being conducted to verify those findings.

khille@baltimoreexaminer.com

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