There’s an update to a workplace medical privacy breach involving members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). I’ve been following the case on this blog since July, 2013. In December 2014, the privacy commissioner found that the RCMP had violated the employees’ privacy by turning over their records to a psychologist. In October 2015, there was a…
Category: Health Data
Memphis man accused of using stolen patient identity information to defraud banks of $1.6 million
Fox13 reports that Jeremy Jones of Memphis was indicated in federal court for his role in a bank fraud scheme that involved more than $1.6 million. The affidavit of complaint against Jeremy Jones said he started stealing identities of patients of Memphis Neurology back in 2011, and he used those identities to bilk various banks…
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid $17,000 ransom to unlock their system (updated)
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center has issued a statement concerning the malware attack and ransom demand recently reported in the media. According to a statement issued today, reports of a $3.6M ransom were inaccurate. The full text of their statement follows. Note that they do not state how the malware got on their system. They may…
‘Numerous Weaknesses,’ ‘Inadequate Security Settings’ Found in Colorado Obamacare Exchange
Elizabeth Harrington reports: The Obamacare health exchange in Colorado faced “numerous weaknesses” and had “inadequate security settings,” leaving the personal information of enrollees vulnerable, according to a new audit. The inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services publicly released its review of Connect for Health Colorado on Wednesday, revealing the exchange had…
Judge Rejects Key Defense in Anthem Data-Breach Suits
Ross Todd reports: U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh’s first major ruling in data-breach lawsuits against major health insurer Anthem Inc. didn’t do much to clarify how the litigation itself will ultimately play out. […] In her decision, Koh addressed for the first time the question of whether the loss of personal information constitutes harm under…
Judge allows some claims over Anthem data breach to go forward
Reuters is reporting: A federal judge has dismissed several claims but allowed others to go forward in a multidistrict litigation against health insurer Anthem Inc over a data breach last year that compromised about 79 million customers’ personal information. Law360 also covers the ruling, but both stories are behind paywalls, and I haven’t read the ruling…