CHICAGO (AP) — Authorities say a laptop computer with personal information on 7,000 Cook County health system patients has been stolen.
Cook County Health and Hospital System spokesman Lucio Guererro says the computer was stolen June 1, but its theft wasn't disclosed until Friday, after the completion of an internal investigation.
Guererro says the investigation determined the computer was password-protected and the information may have been deleted from the computer.
However, because of the uncertainty, officials are notifying patients their information may have been compromised. Guererro says officials haven't seen evidence any of the information has been accessed or distributed.
Officials say the laptop was used to transmit data for medicaid and medicare reimbursements.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
