From HHS: Under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Affinity Health Plan, Inc. will settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules for $1,215,780. Affinity Health Plan is a not-for-profit managed care plan serving the New York metropolitan area….
Category: Health Data
TN: Man accused of stealing identities from 10 cancer patients
Nick Kenney reports that a Tennessee man has been accused of stealing the identity information of hundreds of people, 10 of whom are cancer patients: “This is a major case of identity theft here,” said Chip Washington with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say Bell was running a forgery and ID theft ring from…
Ca: Norfolk General Hospital notifies 1,300 of privacy breach
Monte Sonnenberg reports: A nurse at Norfolk General Hospital has been fired for inappropriately accessing patient files. The hospital reported Tuesday that the privacy breach occurred from October, 2004, to March of this year. On Thursday, NGH notified 1,300 patients in writing that their privacy may have been violated. Read more on Brantford Expositor. If…
Caledonia Home Health and Hospice notifies patients of stolen Netbook
Vermont-based Caledonia Home Health and Hospice is notifying patients after Netbook was stolen from an employee’s home on July 20. In a letter dated August 6 to those affected, the hospice writes: The Netbook contained the home health program, Palmwyse in which patient protected information, including social security numbers, was documented. A police report has been filed…
ICO announces two new undertakings
The Information Commissioner’s Office announced two undertakings that were issued. Northern Health and Social Care Trust 13 August 2013 An undertaking to comply with the seventh data protection principle has been signed by Northern Health & Social Care Trust. This follows a number of security incidents which led to a formal investigation into the Trust’s…
Walgreens Sued for Sharing Patient’s Private Medical Info
Josh Crank provides additional coverage on a case previously mentioned on this blog: A jury ordered Walgreen Co. to pay $1.44 million to an Indiana woman after one of its pharmacists illegally accessed and shared her medical information. But according to conventional legal wisdom, that lawsuit should never have made it to trial. The suit…