Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reports potential breach

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is notifying more than 2,000 patients of a potential breach of protected health information that resulted from a vendor's failure to restore security controls following routine maintenance.

Medical record numbers, gender, date of birth and the date and name of radiology procedures for the patients were stored on the computer; however, no Social Security numbers or financial data were stored it, stated BIDMC, a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

"The computer was found to be transmitting data to an unknown location, the result of being infected by a computer virus following a routine maintenance visit," the hospital said in a statement.

Affected patients have been given access to state and federal resources and a toll-free telephone number, and will receive one year of identity protection services at no charge, according to BIDMC. 

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