Under U.S. privacy laws, HIPAA protections extend past death. The same does not appear to be true in New Zealand, however, as this report by NZCity suggests: The Privacy Commission is sympathising with the family of 103-year-old Myra Letts who claim her privacy was breached when a photo was taken of her in a rest…
Category: Health Data
UK: Clinic computer stolen by addict (updated)
Lisa Nightingale reports: A former heroin addict with a criminal record spanning 30 years has apologised for stealing a computer from a GPs’ surgery. David Graham walked out of Flagg Court Primary Care Centre, South Shields, with one of its computers, containing patients’ files, on November 9. The 44-year-old, a former patient at the surgery,…
Hazelden sued for breach of privacy
Rochelle Olson reports: In late June, a 47-year-old woman checked herself into the 28-day alcohol treatment program at Hazelden in Center City, hoping to shake her years-long dependence on alcohol and maybe save her troubled marriage. The woman, identified in a Hennepin County District Court complaint only as L.B., said she entered the program while…
HIMSS Survey: Business Associates not up to speed on HITECH
Today, HIMSS released a new report, 2009 HIMSS Analytics Report: Evaluating HITECH’s Impact on Healthcare Privacy and Security. Commissioned by ID Experts, HIMSS surveyed senior information technology (IT) executives, Chief Security Officers, Chief Medical Information Officers (CMIOs), Chief Information Security Officers and Chief Privacy Officers at hospitals throughout the United States.They also surveyed business associates…
Update: Stolen BCBS hard drives had data on 2 million insured
This is a follow-up to an incident first reported here. Dennis Ferrier reports: One of Tennessee’s largest holders of personal information confirms that an October theft from a Chattanooga office affects about 2 million of its clients. Blue Cross Blue Shield said 68 computer hard drives that contained Social Security numbers and other sensitive information…
Gu: GMH Issues Notice of Breach of Unsecured Health Information
Pursuant to the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, Guam Memorial Hospital Authority has issued a notice of breach of unsecured health information after a laptop computer used by the GMHA Employee Health Office was stolen from the Guam Memorial Hospital. A file on the computer contained limited health information on…