Hospital laptop stolen, putting patient info at risk

HOUSTON On Friday, the Methodist Hospital notified 689 people that someone stole a laptop from an office at the Smith Tower in the Texas Medical Center. Hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Acin told Eyewitness News a thief took the laptop on January 18. The computer was attached to a medical device that tests pulmonary function and contained private health information and Social Security numbers.

"We are truly sorry if we have caused any stress or problems for the patients affected by this," Acin said. "We have offered them one year free subscription for credit monitoring and identity theft protection."

The hospital does not know if anyone accessed patients' information from the computer.