Truman Medical Center data breach: what happened and what to do

A work laptop was stolen from an employee's car in July 2019. HHS lists 114,466 people affected. Exposed data included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, diagnoses and medication information.

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Breach date: 18 Jul 2019
Affected: 114,466
Data exposed: Names, Dates of birth, Social security numbers, Physical addresses, Medical information, Medication information
Last updated: 26 Oct 2026

Reviewed by Anthon Wansland

Head of Product & Co-Founder

Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.

What happened

Truman Medical Center, a Kansas City hospital system, told federal regulators that an employee's vehicle was burglarized and a laptop was stolen. HIPAA Journal reports the theft happened on July 18, 2019, and that the hospital worked out in October 2019 that patient information was stored on the device. Notification letters went out in December 2019, and the breach appears on the HHS Office for Civil Rights breach portal with 114,466 people affected.

Sources checked: ocrportal.hhs.gov, hipaajournal.com, kcur.org

Last verified against the official page: 26 Oct 2026

How we research this Report an error

What was exposed

HHS's description says the protected health information included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, diagnoses and conditions, and medication information. Not every person had every item in the file.

That mix matters. A Social Security number with a date of birth and an address is what someone needs to try opening credit in your name. Diagnosis and medication details can be used to make a phishing call or letter sound like it comes from your provider.

The response

Per HHS, the hospital notified affected people, the media and local police, and offered free identity theft protection services. It also disciplined the employee, added administrative and technical safeguards and retrained staff.

What to do if you were in it

1

Freeze your credit

Place a free credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, as the FTC recommends. It stops lenders from opening new accounts in your name. Do it even if you haven't seen any misuse yet.
2

Take the free identity protection the hospital offered

If you got a letter, use the credit monitoring it offers. The FTC recommends taking it, but it alerts you to activity rather than stopping it, so keep the freeze too.
3

Read your insurance statements

Check explanation of benefits statements for treatment you didn't get, and report anything odd to your insurer.
4

Be wary of messages about your care

Expect calls, texts and emails that mention your hospital, a diagnosis or a medication. Don't click links in them: call the number on your card or bill instead.
5

Report misuse

If someone uses your details, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.
6

Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches

Run a free Serus scan. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up in a new one.

Official filings

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , filed 5 Dec 2019 : 114,466 people

Timeline

18 Jul 2019
The breach happened
5 Dec 2019
Reported to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Frequently asked

Was I affected by the Truman Medical Center data breach?

If you were a patient and got a notification letter, yes. The hospital mailed letters to the people whose information was on the laptop, and HHS lists 114,466 people.

What was exposed in the Truman Medical Center breach?

According to HHS, names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, diagnoses and conditions, and medication information.

Should I freeze my credit after this breach?

Yes, if your Social Security number may have been on the laptop. A freeze is free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and you can lift it when you need credit.