Anyone can file a HIPAA privacy complaint with HHS, but I’m not confident this one will go anywhere if there is a signed business associate contract in place and the patient signed the privacy practices notice. I do think there needs to be an investigation on the Social Security number part of the complaint, though. See…
Month: July 2013
Govt. moves to dismiss lawsuit over Dorn V.A. laptop breach
The government has moved to dismiss a potential class action lawsuit after the theft of a laptop with PHI from the Dorn V.A. Medical Center. Their argument: plaintiffs have not demonstrated that the information has fallen into the wrong hands or caused any actual harm to plaintiffs. Read more on Main Justice.
California reveals monetary penalties issued to hospitals in 2013 for medical privacy breaches
California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) has fined nine hospitals this year for failure to prevent unauthorized access to patient medical information, as required by Section 1280.15 of California’s Health and Safety Code. The fines were issued for breaches reported in previous years. Frustratingly, the state’s web page that reports the penalties and underlying reports…
Ex-Army inspector denies accusations he stole troops’ IDs
I waited to post this one until I could get a copy of the indictment. 10TV reported: A former Fort Campbell inspector whose job was to investigate misconduct has been charged with stealing the identities of fellow Army personnel, including a soldier who had been killed in combat. Acting U.S. Attorney David Rivera in Nashville…
Quayside breach update
It seems that the breach notification letter received by residents of New Hampshire may have contained more information than the letter received by Vermont residents. In a letter dated June 21 (the same date as the letter quoted here), Quayside added a statement that there were 639 orders affecting 532 customers, from all areas combined,…
San Jose Medical Supply reports insider breach; sues former employees and two competitors
There are some details I routinely look for in breach reports. So when I saw a breach report yesterday that indicated the breach occurred in August 2011 and wasn’t discovered until June 27, 2013, it caught my eye. According to a letter sent this week to affected customers and patients, San Jose Medical Supply Company…