Johns Hopkins probed for patient ID theft

Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the theft of patient information as part of a scheme to make fake Virginia driver's licenses by a former employee of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Having worked in the patient registration area, the former employee would have had access to information such as names, addresses, parents' names and Social Security numbers as part of their job duties, according to a letter the hospital sent to the identity theft unit of the state attorney general's office last month, reported the Baltimore Sun. The employee is expected to be indicted, although it is not certain whether they were the source of the theft, according to the hospital.

Federal officials have determined that 46 individuals are victims of the identity theft, 31 of whom were connected to Johns Hopkins, according to the letter. The hospital is offering credit monitoring and other services to these 31, as well as more than 500 people with Virginia mailing addresses whose records the employee had accessed.

In addition, approximately 10,200 people, including those who guaranteed payment for patients' treatment, have been advised to watch for improper activity in their accounts because the employee had accessed their records, the hospital said.