Too good not to share and another reason to check XKCD every day:
Author: Dissent
Losses from identity theft skyrocket
Jennifer Waters puts a human face on the impact of identity theft in a piece in The Buffalo News: Identity theft and fraud have ruined Dave Crouse’s life. In less than six months, $900,000 in merchandise, gambling and telephone- service charges were siphoned out of his debit card. His attempts to salvage his finances have…
UK: Patients' secrets dumped in alley
David Mercer reports: Medical records containing details of hundreds of Wigan patients have been found dumped by a former health centre. Highly personal information in three diaries was discovered outside the disused building in Tram Street, Platt Bridge. It includes names, addresses and medical complaints of patients requiring doctors’ visits in 1988, 1990 and 1991….
UK: Patients are sent wrong medical details
An angry Lancashire dad has hit out at bungling office staff who got sensitive medical files mixed up. Chris Martin, 45, sent off a dossier of highly personal information as he negotiated his return to work following illness. But staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) returned his file full of someone else’s…
Data security breaches often triggered by carelessness
Pamela Lewis Nolan reports: Often the biggest threat to your practice and patient data is not an outside hacker or a snooping employee — it’s somebody’s forgetfulness. […] Credant Technologies, a Dallas-based data protection solutions company, noted in a 2008 survey that although more than a third of health care professionals store patient data on…
NZ: Hospital sacks employee over accessing files
Greer McDonald reports: A Hutt Hospital employee has been fired for accessing patient files without legitimate reasons. A report prepared for Hutt Valley District Health Board revealed three staff members at the hospital were investigated for potential privacy breaches in October and December. Acting chief executive Michael Hundleby said two breaches were upheld while in…