Dr Axel Velez

Four computers containing the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of 2,143 patients were stolen from the covered entity (CE), Dr. Axel Velez. The PHI involved in the breach included patients’ names, addresses, contact numbers, partial social security numbers, dates of birth, diagnostic information, dates of visits, patient numbers, referring physicians, physicians’ telephone numbers, and insurance information. The CE provided breach notification to HHS, affected individuals, and the media. Following the breach, the CE improved physical security by repairing the backdoor entrance to the office, installing an alarm system and video surveillance equipment, attaching cable locks to the workstation computers, servers and portable media devices, and moving inventoried equipment off-site. OCR provided technical assistance to the CE regarding risk analysis, risk management planning, and policies and procedures required under the Security Rule.