Update of December 12: See the update/follow-up here. Several months ago, I was contacted by a reader who asked me about the Alex Rodriguez case and whether there was a HIPAA breach. I responded, via e-mail, that I didn’t know as the clinic was no longer in operation and I didn’t have any information on…
Month: August 2013
MO HealthNet notifying 1,357 of breach
KRCG reports: MO HealthNet is in the process of notifying 1,357 individuals that some of their personal information was mailed to an incorrect address by one of its contractors, Infocrossing, Inc. The disclosure was caused by a software programming error. No medical or financial information was released as a result of the inadvertent mailing. The…
Very Big Data: Japan to create nationwide network to share patient medical info
Interesting news from Japan: The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to build an Internet-based network that would allow medical institutions nationwide to share patients’ medical treatment and drug prescription records–a move that is also likely to make it easier for patients to switch hospitals or leave one to recover at home, according to ministry…
Bank of Scotland receives £75K penalty after three year fax blunders
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has served the Bank of Scotland with a monetary penalty of £75,000 after customers’ account details were repeatedly faxed to the wrong recipients. The information included payslips, bank statements, account details and mortgage applications, along with customers’ names, addresses and contact details. The documents were faxed over a three year period, with the…
UK: Workers’ personal information found in cabinet sold at auction
Here we go again: personal information left in filing cabinets that are surplussed or auctioned off. The personal details of dozens of employees from a council-owned waste company have been found in a filing cabinet bought at auction. The misplacing of the documents from Premier Waste Management was last night described as “diabolical” by a…
UK: Landlord's shock as mental health records are found in attic
Concerns over patient confidentiality have been raised by a Hakin landlord who found stacks of medical records stashed away in his attic. Peter Eaton said he was shocked to find five bin bags-full of mental health records hidden between the joists and under the fibreglass of his attic when he was renovating his property in…