Orange, Calif.-based healthcare system CalOptima announced a breach of protected health information last Friday, according to the Orange County Register.
The breach, which affected about 56,000 CalOptima members, included member names, demographic information, Social Security numbers and other health plan details. The security issue arose after a "departing employee" downloaded patient data to a personal, unencrypted flash drive, which was returned after four days, according to the report.
Bridget Kelly, a CalOptima spokesperson, told the Orange County Register that the healthcare system is cooperating with local law enforcement and health plan regulators for the investigation.