Another Computer Stolen From Spartanburg Regional

For a third time since March, someone has swiped a computer from Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, though the hospital says no personal information was compromised.

A nursing supervisor told Spartanburg Public Safety that someone stole the computer from a "major care" room sometime Friday.

Police say the computer's tower, a Compaq Elite 8000 model, was stolen, but hospital spokesman Chad Lawson said no personal information was stored locally on the machine.

Lawson said the machine contained programs designed to access information remotely, and any information that was on the machine is encrypted.

The report states that a hospital employee confirmed the computer was last online at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, the same time a patient was discharged from that room.

The nurse, according to the report, checked in another patient right after that who stayed until 5:30 that afternoon. The second patient, according to the report, was carrying a duffel bag and a guitar case.

Police, nor the spokesman, know if the computer was physically secured, but a Greenville-based computer security expert says it should have been.

"It's medical records!" said John Hoyt, of Homeland Secure IT. "By God, they should be doing everything they can to secure the records."

Hoyt said most computers and other electronic devices are compatible with locking devices such as Kensington Locks, and Hoyt said every computer in a hospital should be equipped with something similar.

"If you've done nothing to secure it, chances are really good that at some point someone is going to see an easy target and take off with your computer," Hoyt said.

On March 7 of this year, the hospital said a computer was stolen from a nurse's station, but after further review, it was determined the computer contained no personal information.

Later that same month, a hospital laptop was stolen from the car of a hospital employee who had taken the computer home for the night. That laptop, the hospital said, did contain personal information for potentially thousands of patients.

The theft prompted the hospital to send out thousands of letters to patients warning them of the potential breach and to offer free credit monitoring for a year.

The hospital issued the following statement regarding this latest theft:

We are investigating the potential theft of a desktop computer from our Emergency Center. The computer in question stored no patient information, but was encrypted for an added layer of security. We are committed to safeguarding patient information and recently began reviewing our information security protocols, as well as making enhancements in our information technology systems to improve safety of patient data.