More than 700 patient files were stolen from a local laboratory. The crime was discovered Monday, after someone broke into the office of Physicians Automated Laboratory on 17th Street in downtown Bakersfield over the weekend. According to PAL, 745 patients had their information stolen: including names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and lab work. Read…
Category: Health Data
CT: Waterford woman charged in privacy case
This news story by Judy Benson was published a few weeks ago, but I wanted to mention it here because we’ve seen this type of access problem before: …. In the Swanson case, records for Ruggiero-Swanson, her husband Brian and her 27-year-old son, also named Brian, were accessed by Brian Sr.’s estranged sister, according to documents…
MA: Laptop lost with data for more than 2,000 patients, Boston Children’s reports
Chelsea Conaboy reports: While at a conference in Buenos Aires, a Boston Children’s Hospital employee lost a laptop containing a file with information about 2,159 patients, including names, birth dates, diagnoses, and treatment information. The laptop was password protected but not encrypted, according to a hospital press release. Read more on The Boston Globe. So…
A UCLA Health System audit report with limited patient info posted online
Sometimes we find out about breaches from student publications. Daily Bruin reporter Kylie Reynolds writes: A UCLA Health System audit report containing private patient information was posted online earlier this month, though it remains unclear how many people were affected, according to a letter from a health system official obtained by the Daily Bruin. The…
UK: London NHS Trust fined £90,000 for serious data breach (updated)
Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) NHS Trust has been fined £90,000 following a serious breach of the Data Protection Act (DPA), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced today. The breach first occurred in March last year, after patient lists from the Pembridge Palliative Care Unit, intended for St John’s Hospice, were faxed to the wrong recipient. The…
A breach avoided
It seems there was a near-miss at a VA hospital in Maine last month. But an alert housekeeping employee noticed that patient records had been thrown in a dumpster, notified the right person, and everything was recovered with no public exposure. Mistakes happen. Creating a culture where all employees know about privacy protection and what…