Howard L. Weinstein D.P.M.

Four encrypted laptop computers and the back-up system containing the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of approximately 1,000 individuals were stolen as a result of a break-in at the office of the covered entity (CE), Howard L. Weinstein, D.P.M. The CE immediately reported the incident to police and an investigation ensued. The ePHI involved in the theft was encrypted and the CE determined that a breach of ePHI was unlikely. However, the CE responded to the incident as though a breach had occurred and personnel notified the potential affected parties through mailing, media notification, and website notification. They also followed the procedure to file a Breach Notification Report with HHS. The CE implemented additional physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to ensure the security of ePHI. In addition, the CE immediately acted on the recovery plan, and has moved data to a cloud encrypted storage system.