Information of 700 patients stolen from LAC+USC Medical Center

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There was a data breach at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center after the hospital said Tuesday somebody stole several things from an employee's car, including lists with personal information of hundreds of patients.

About 700 patients treated at the medical center's neurosurgery clinic between May 10 and July 26 of this year were in jeopardy of having their personal information breached, hospital officials said.

The files, containing personal information on the patients, were stolen when the car break-in occurred on July 8. The stolen information included names, birth dates, medical record numbers and telephone numbers. The hospital added that social security numbers and financial information were not included.

The hospital issued a statement saying affected patients have been notified.

The statement read in part: "We are committed to protecting patient privacy and will take every necessary step to prevent a similar occurrence from happening again... We have provided notice to impacted patients with resources to contact for information."

It was not clear why the files had been left in the employee's car, but a sheriff's investigation was underway.

The hospital said the employee who had the files in his car was re-trained on security procedures.