An employee of Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris was fired because she looked at 431 patient files for which she did not have permission. “She was nosey,” said hospital President Steven Ruwoldt said Thursday. There was no malicious intent, he said of the woman, who worked in the medical records department. The files she…
Author: Dissent
PA: Legislation aims at data breach notification
Alex Rose: State Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, recently re-introduced legislation that would require state agencies to notify the public about data breaches involving personal information within one week. Current state law only allows for notification “without unreasonable delay.” Pileggi, the Senate majority leader, introduced similar legislation last year. That bill passed the Senate…
UK: Patient records 'could be used for targeting terrorists' under Justice Bill
Nigel Praities reports: Patient care records will be freely circulated among Government departments and could be used for targeting suspected terrorists under new legislation that has horrified IT experts. The draft Coroners and Justice Bill will allow any minister to circumvent data protection legislation and grant access to summary care record data without seeking patient…
NH prescription privacy law at U.S. Supreme Court
The Associated Press reports: Two companies that collect, analyze and sell prescription information are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step into their continuing fight against New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation law making doctors’ prescription writing habits confidential.
2 hospital employees allegedly steal from patient, 79
Kelly Green reports: A 79-year-old woman was the victim of credit card and check theft by two hospital employees in separate incidents during her stay in a Scottsdale hospital, police said. The victim was receiving treatment for a heart condition at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea in December 2008 when the two employees allegedly stole credit cards…
Consumer Electronics Company Agrees to Settle Data Security Charges; Breach Compromised Data of Hundreds of Consumers
An online seller of computer supplies and other consumer electronics has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law by failing to provide reasonable security to protect sensitive customer data. According to the FTC’s complaint, Compgeeks.com (Compgeeks), which operates the www.geeks.com Web site, and its parent company, Genica Corporation (Genica), collect…