Hospice agrees to pay $50,000 for stolen laptop | Crime

A stolen laptop with patient information is going to cost the Hospice of North Idaho $50,000 in a settlement with the  federal government.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reported Friday the hospice agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' office of human rights after the facility realized an employee's car was broken into and the laptop was missing. The hospice said in a news release that patient information was unlikely to be compromised.

"In the summer of 2010, an employee's vehicle was broken into, and their laptop was stolen," Spokeswoman Amanda Miller said. "While the thief was apprehended, the laptop was never recovered, hence all the steps Hospice of North Idaho took in case of malicious activity.

Potentially vulnerable patients were reached and offered credit monitoring, according to the hospice.