The Hospice of North Idaho has agreed to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule which occurred when a laptop containing protected health information was stolen.
 
One remarkable feature of the case: The breach involved data for 441 patients, making this the first breach settlement which concerned fewer than 500 patients, HHS notes in its Jan. 2 announcement of the settlement.
 
HHS investigated the breach after the hospice submitted a required breach report. The investigation also found that the hospice did not have policies in place to address the security of data on mobile devices.
 
For tips on how to make sure the data your agency stores on mobile devices is safe, turn to the Jan. 7 issue of HHL.