The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined that the program director at DePoo Chemical Dependency Facility in Key West, Fla., violated HIPAA, according to a story posted on Keynoter.com. DePoo is a 49-bed unit operated by Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC). According to findings by HHS based on an anonymous complaint, the…
Category: Health Data
Follow-up: No charges will be filed for improper disposal of medical records
The Catoosa County News provides a follow-up on a case I had reported here: The family member of the doctor whose sensitive medical records were found in a dumpster in Hixon, Tenn., two weeks ago will not be charged with any crime. According to Jerri Weary, public information officer with the Chattanooga Police Department: The…
OIS Commentary: Is this really necessary?
Capstone Dental Center, PC (dba Arnerident Dental Associates) recently notified (pdf) the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office that an email address for one doctor was typed incorrectly. As a result, attachments containing unencrypted dental information and the Social Security number of one patient were sent to the email address of a dairy farmer located in…
CDT Comments on FTC Health Data Breach Notification Rulemaking
From CDT.org: CDT, together with the Markle Foundation and others, filed comments with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding new requirements on how to notify patients when unsecured personal health record (PHR) data has been breached. In the comments, CDT called on FTC to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure…
Stimulus Bill Includes Important Privacy Provisions That Affect Psychiatrists
Stephen Barlas has an article in the current issue of Psychiatric Times on how ARRA affects psychiatrists. It beings: Psychiatrists failed to get privacy protection for an expanded version of their psychotherapy notes in the stimulus bill Congress passed last February. But the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) did authorize a study on the…
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic notifies patients of data loss
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic has confirmed to this site that they recently notified patients of a data loss incident that has not been reported in the mainstream media. According to a few sources that we could not confirm, the breach involved unencrypted patient data. The only statement the clinic would make in response to a request for…