Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Data Breach Alert

If you're a physician, you should be aware that your personal data may have been compromised recently due to a laptop theft. A simple crime can cause a significant amount of havoc when the stolen device contains extremely sensitive information like social security numbers and other personal identifiers. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) sent a notice to physicians, but many really don't understand what they're supposed to do.

My suggestion would be the following:

• Check your credit ASAP
  
• Enroll in an identity theft protection program (credit monitoring services)
  
• Monitor your credit each year

You may be at risk if you don't do anything. If that laptop ends up in the wrong hands, then your personal information could be vulnerable. We can't make any assumptions when laptops get stolen.