HIPAA breaches happen, but what should an entity do when the recipient of accidentally disclosed PHI refuses to return the other patient’s record(s)? Here’s another case in Kansas.
Category: Health Data
KY: Woman indicted for identity theft, stealing patient information to obtain loans
The Messenger-Inquirer in Kentucky reports that an Owensboro woman employed in a medical office was indicted by a federal grand jury this week on charges of using patient information to obtain loans. It’s one of those all-too-rare criminal HIPAA prosecutions: Ilene W. Bullington of the 200 block of Wilder Drive was indicted Wednesday. Bullington was…
WI: Flash drive with personal information of thousands of City of Milwaukee employees stolen from contractor’s car
Dan Walker reports: A flash drive containing the personal information of thousands of City of Milwaukee workers was stolen along with the car of an employee of a health care firm that contracts with the city. The employee worked for Dynacare Laboratories, a contractor used by Froedtert Health Workforce Health in connection with the city’s…
And yet 9 more breaches added to HHS's breach tool (Update2)
HHS added 9 more breach reports to its public breach tool yesterday. Here’s a recap of the ones we already knew about: The UnityPoint Health breach was added to the list, although the third party company that provided the employee to UnityPoint was not disclosed in their report. In a statement sent to PHIprivacy.net today,…
Everywhere I look/listen, there's a HIPAA breach
Maybe I should start a column just about the “small” HIPAA breaches I seem to trip over on a too-frequent basis. Today’s entry occurred in the waiting area of an outpatient endoscopy/colonoscopy service. I was sitting and chatting with another woman as we waited for our respective spouses. Out came a doctor, who walked up…
PA: Local Doctor Sues After Electronic Billing Co. Loses Data (Updated)
Marty Griffin reports: Dr. Bhola Roy is a board certified internist. These days he spends hour after hour on his computer, ordered by Medicare to file all of his records electronically. “Medicare is mandating to us, we have to use electronic health records,” he said. That mandate went horribly wrong, when in a lawsuit, Dr….