A few recent breaches involving health information have gotten me thinking more about contractor or third party data losses. Is our reaction to such incidents the same as it would be if the hospital, insurance company, or other covered entities directly experienced the breach or loss themselves? Is there some psychological reaction whereby the more…
Author: Dissent
From DNA of Family, a Tool to Make Arrests
The Washington Post continues in its focus on DNA and the legal system. Following up on yesterday’s story, Ellen Nakashima reports: He was a church-going father of two, and for more than 30 years Dennis Rader eluded police in the Wichita area, killing 10 people and signing taunting letters with a self-styled monogram: BTK, for…
UK: Court sent me people's secret files
George Hamilton reports in the Oxford Mail: Oxford County Court has tightened its security procedures after a member of staff mistakenly sent sensitive medical information and National Insurance numbers to a woman trying to settle her parking fines. Emma Kelly said she was worried identity fraudsters could have capitalised on the error, which saw a…
Do Patients Have Access to Therapy or Personal Notes?
Donna Vanderpool, M.B.A., J.D., assistant vice president for risk management at PRMS Inc., has an article in the April 18 issue of Psychiatric News. Here’s part of the article: HIPAA’s Privacy Rule permits covered psychiatrists who choose to keep psychotherapy notes to deny patients access to those notes. The Privacy Rule definition of psychotherapy notes…
Is the Medical Establishment the Best Guardian of Your Medical Data?
David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA and Vince Kuraitis provide more food for thought on the e-CareManagement blog: Drs. Mandl and Kohane begin their recent article in NEJM with the statement that “large corporations are seeking an integral and transformative role in the management of health care information,†and then warn that this “will profoundly affect…
DNA Tests Offer Deeper Examination Of Accused
Rick Weiss has a fascinating piece in the Washington Post that describes current trends in using DNA in the courts and that provides a recap of the history of DNA use in the legal system: Twenty years after DNA fingerprints were first admitted by American courts as a way to link suspects to crime scenes,…