Question: A Laptop Containing PHI On 5000 Patients, Including Social Security Numbers, Was Stolen From An Employee’s Car. The Employee Notified You, Her Supervisor And The Manager Of The HIM Department, Immediately. The Data Is Password Protected But Not Encrypted. Research And Assess The Following: What HIPAA Violation(s)/issue(s) May Have Occurred? Who Should …

A laptop containing PHI on 5000 patients, including socialsecurity numbers, was stolen from an employee’s car. The employeenotified you, her supervisor and the manager of the HIM department,immediately. The data is password protected but not encrypted.Research and assess the following:

1. What HIPAA violation(s)/issue(s) may have occurred?
2. Who should be notified of the breach and why?
3. What steps should the facility take moving forward?
4. What standard or best practice should the facility implement tominimize privacy concerns? (The number of suggested standards bestpractices will vary depending on the size of the group.)