Author: Dissent

It was a shocking discovery in an abandoned storage unit. Thousands of medical charts, all listed to Southwest Medical. Larry Coldmire bought the contents of the storage unit for just $25 dollars in an auction. He had hoped to find treasures that he could turn into a profit, but what was there instead is identity…

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 mandated the development of a unique patient identifi er (UPI) for “every individual, employer, health plan, and health care provider.” UPIs were intended to serve as central building blocks for new health information technologies and to enable physicians, hospitals, and other authorized users to share…

In a dime-a-dozen business like nail salons, you need to have a hook or a gimmick to be unique. At the The Bella Aqua Spa in Laurinburg, North Carolina, they seem to have settled on requiring a copious amount of personal and medical history from you before you get to have a manicure as their…

Indictments are returned against three Jackson women accused of stealing from a nursing home resident. Jamise James, 28, and Brittany Slaughter, 22, have been arrested. James is charged with conspiracy and fraudulent use of a social security number. Slaughter is charged with conspiracy. Ashley “Pig” Showers, 25,  has not been arrested yet. She fled in a Dodge…

Jason Felch of the Los Angeles Times reports: The National Institutes of Health quietly blocked public access to databases of patient DNA profiles after learning of a study that found the genetic information may not be as anonymous as previously believed, the Los Angeles Times has learned. NIH officials took the unusual step on Monday…

Patrick McGreevy reports in the Los Angeles Times: