Alice Lipowicz reports: Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology at the Veterans Affairs Department, today defended the department’s efforts to protect against data theft and unauthorized access at a House hearing where the VA was criticized for two recent breaches of veterans’ personal data in Texas. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.), who chairs the…
Category: Health Data
B.C.: ‘Human Error’ Behind Mistake Where Patient Information Released
Laurena Weninger reports: Personal patient information sent out by Interior Health to those to whom it did not belong is being chalked up as “human error.” “This breach was caused by a setting on a new device not being correctly set, resulting in double appointment letters being stuffed into envelopes,” said a letter sent out…
VA breaches more numerous than we knew
Miami VA Healthcare System wasn’t the only VA center that experienced a breach involving paper records containing protected health information on January 19 of this year. According to OCR’s web site, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System also experienced a breach involving paper records: VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System State: Colorado Approx. # of…
Stolen server contains medical info on 40,000 eye patients
OCR added a few more breaches to its list. Two were covered earlier today on PHIprivacy.net, but the third one, added later in the day, affected 40,000 people: Silicon Valley Eyecare Optometry and Contact Lenses State: California Approx. # of Individuals Affected: 40,000 Date of Breach: 4/02/10 Type of Breach: Theft Location of Breached Information:…
SC: Laptop With Patients’ Information Stolen
A laptop containing information on more than 600 patients at an Oconee County physicians’ practice was stolen a week ago — and now patients are being warned about the theft. The staff of the Oconee Heart Center discovered the theft of the laptop on May 10. The practice is notifying more than 600 patients whose…
MO: Former Pharmacy Technician Indicted on Health Care Fraud Charges
The United States Attorney’s Office announced today last week that Karen Williams was indicted on multiple fraud charges involving her scheme to fraudulently obtain prescription drugs and bill them to patient insurance companies. According to the indictment, Williams was employed as a pharmacy technician at a Walgreens on St. Charles Rock Road. Between 2007 and…