The following statement was posted on UMass Amherst’s web site on March 7: The University of Massachusetts Amherst is notifying clients of University Health Services (UHS) whose protected health information was possibly revealed after a workstation was inadvertently infected with a malware program. The malware infection occurred on June 30, 2010 and the vulnerability on…
Category: Health Data
CVS Accused in Suit of Using Customers' Pharmacy Data for Drug Companies
Sophia Pearson reports: CVS Caremark Corp., the largest U.S. provider of prescription drugs, was sued over claims it used confidential prescription information to push products on behalf of pharmaceutical makers. CVS violated the privacy and rights of consumers by sending letters to customers’ physicians that promoted specific medications, according to a complaint filed March 7…
Ca: Bureaucrats who violated veteran's privacy get ‘slap on the wrist’
Murray Brewster reports what is undoubtedly a lame and disappointing response to an egregious privacy breach: Veterans Affairs bureaucrats who rifled through the personal files of a department critic were handed written reprimands and three-day suspensions – penalties the victim calls a “slap on the wrist.” An internal investigation found 54 veterans bureaucrats improperly snooped…
Ca: Central Health employee terminated for privacy breach
Kevin Higgins reports: Central Health played its zero tolerance card March 7, terminating an employee of James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre for breaches of privacy. The health authority’s chief executive officer, Karen McGrath, said the employee “inappropriately accessed” personal health information of at least 80 reports belonging to at least 19 different people during…
Activist’s Hospital Records Stolen: “I Am Fearful For My Life; I Am Under Psychological Pressure From Security Forces”
This is not the typical kind of medical privacy breach that I post to this blog, but it’s a reminder that there are many types of privacy breaches and some may be particularly malignant: Following news that security forces stole Narges Mohammadi’s medical records, she spoke the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about…
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida notifies almost 7,400 members that their EOBs were sent to wrong addresses
A press release issued by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, seen on SacBee: In late January 2011, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) discovered that, because of a system error, it had inadvertently mailed some member health information to incorrect addresses. BCBSF regrets that this error occurred. BCBSF fixed the issue the…