A former UCLA Medical Center employee has pleaded not guilty to charges that she sold information from Farrah Fawcett’s medical records to a celebrity gossip tabloid. U.S. attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek says Lawanda Jackson entered the plea at her arraignment Monday in U.S. District Court. Source – Associated Press
Author: Dissent
Some ID-theft schemes target Canada's health-care system
Pauline Tam reports: Criminals are exploiting lax security in government databases to assume false identities and take advantage of Canada’s health-care system, warns a leading expert in identity fraud. But such scams go largely unprosecuted because there is no concerted effort by government agencies to go after bogus health-care claimants, says former Edmonton police detective…
UK: Medical records found dumped near canal in Barrowford
Simone Yates reports: AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after hundreds of personal medical documents were found dumped beside a canal between Barrowford and Foulridge. The confidential documents featured information about patients from across East Lancashire including names, addresses and whether they had HIV, syphillis or had suffered from a heart attack. Pendle Denture Centre, in…
Portland VA hospital mistakenly posts vets' personal data online
Michael Milstein reports: Personal information, including some Social Security numbers, of about 1,600 patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland was inadvertently posted on a public Web site, Portland VA officials said Saturday. The breach also involved patient information from other VA hospitals around the country, but Portland VA spokesman Mike McAleer…
Inspector general knocks HIPAA security oversight
John Moore reports: A review by the Department of Health and Human Service has found the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service wanting when it comes to oversight of health information security. HHS’ Office of the Inspector General issued a report Oct. 27 that finds CMS has fallen short of its charter to enforce the…
20 Hospital Workers Accused Of Violating Collier's Privacy Fired
Twenty hospital workers — nurses, admissions workers and patient relations staff — lost their jobs this week, accused of breaking federal privacy rules by accessing the medical records of the Jaguars’ Richard Collier. Two weeks after Collier — who was shot 14 times — was well enough to be discharged from Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, 20…