The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that six California hospitals and one nursing home have been assessed administrative penalties and fines totaling $792,500 after a determination that the facilities failed to prevent unauthorized access to confidential patient medical information. “Medical privacy is a fundamental right and a critical component of quality medical care…
Category: Health Data
Alberta employer too hasty in telling supervisors about employee’s failed drug test
An adjudicator with Alberta’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner found an Alberta employer did not comply with the notification requirements of provincial privacy legislation when it informed certain employees and others that an employee who was suspended for a positive drug test wouldn’t be around. An Alberta employee of Lafarge Canada, a supplier…
Dentist tells patients of stolen data (updated)
Dr. Robert Wheatley, a dentist who practices in St. Charles, is mailing notices to about 1,400 patients that his laptop computer, containing patient information, was stolen from his car in Florissant last month…… Wheatley said the laptop had clinical information but not financial information. Source: stltoday.com I don’t see this incident up on HHS/OCR’s breach…
AvMed sued over loss of computers holding personal info
Anthony Clark reports: Five AvMed Health Plans customers filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the health insurer on behalf of 1.2 million people whose personal information was on two laptops that went missing from the company’s Gainesville office. AvMed officials said there are no known cases of identity theft connected to the incident. One of…
VA report to Congress on data incidents in October
The Department of Veterans Affairs October report to Congress on data incidents is available online. Here are some breaches of note contained in the report: A Regional Office (RO) guard at the Veterans Benefits Administration in Tennessee found an unencrypted thumb drive inside the facility doors on October 8. The guard took the drive home…
Henry Ford notifies patients of possible breach of information (UPDATE)
Robin Erb reports: Henry Ford Health System has notified some of its patients that their personal health information may have been breached after an employee’s laptop computer was stolen Sept. 24. Information related to prostate services that patients received between 1997 and 2008, according to Henry Ford officials. […] No Social Security numbers or health…