Sen. Franken: Encrypt laptops with medical info

U.S. Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday he plans to pursue legislation or federal regulations requiring encryption of all laptops containing private medical information, after presiding over a hearing on aggressive debt collection practices in several Minnesota hospitals. Franken questioned executives from Chicago-based Accretive Health Inc. and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services. The issue came to light when an unencrypted laptop containing private information for 23,500 patients was stolen from an Accretive employee's car.