Author: Dissent

Charles Ornstein of the Los Angeles Times reports: When penalties were handed out for snooping in UCLA’s medical records, it paid to have an M.D. after your name. As a group, doctors at UCLA hospitals who wrongly peeked at the records of pop star Britney Spears got off lighter than other staffers, according to reports…

The New York Times provides some additional details on the breach involving NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center: The theft – which occurred over the past several years and included patients’ names, phone numbers and Social Security numbers – was discovered during a federal investigation, and the hospital was notified in January, the spokeswoman, Myrna Manners, said. An…

Mary Mosquera reports on FCW: The director of the National Institutes of Health has notified employees to expect random computer audits as the agency works to ensure full compliance with its security policies. NIH discovered that a stolen laptop PC belonging to NIH contained medical data and Social Security numbers of 1,200 patients involved in…

From ABC Eyewitness News: The personal information of thousands of patients at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center may have been compromised. A Federal investigation and a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital internal audit have uncovered the possible theft of personal identity information, including names, phone numbers, and in some cases social security numbers, of approximately 40,000 hospital patients….

Leo King reports in ComputerworldUK: The government has admitted much more work has to be done on patient security and confidentiality concerns, associated with allowing pharmacists access to patient Summary Care Records (SCRs). It said more discussions and assessment had to take place between various health bodies, in order for a decision to be taken…

A press release from AHIMA via PRNewswire: A new report that features four leading experts in health information management in an extended roundtable discussion on key issues related to the privacy and security of health information-and ways in which the industry may best address those issues — is now available. “Online, on Message, on Duty:…