Salvador Hernandez reports: Boxes with documents detailing confidential patient information, such as Social Security numbers and personal medical history, were found discarded next to a medical office building, which officials said could be a violation of patient confidentiality laws. The documents, which were retrieved by a doctor about 90 minutes after they were discovered, could…
Category: Health Data
University of Utah follow-up: Plea deal offered in stolen medical records case
KSL reported on Nov. 14: Prosecutors say they’ve offered a plea deal to two men accused of obtaining stolen medical records. Thomas Anderson and Shadd Hartman each are charged with one count of felony theft by receiving stolen property and a count of unlawful possession of another’s identification documents. The Salt Lake Tribune reports prosecutors…
In the courts: informed consent and invasion of privacy
Paul Davenport of the Associated Press reports: An Arizona appeals court panel ruled Friday that the Havasupai Indian tribe can proceed with a lawsuit that claims university researchers misused blood samples taken from tribal members. Overturning a judge’s 2007 dismissal of the case, a split Arizona Court of Appeals panel said the Havasupai and other…
UK: Catalogue of NHS data losses makes shocking reading
Ben Russell of the Independent reports: Confidential patient information has been lost in scores of cases, according to a catalogue of NHS data losses released last night. Files, computers and memory sticks containing details of thousands of patients have been lost according to details released under the Freedom of Information Act. […] You can see…
CO: Identity theft traced back to hospital bill
The Children’s Hospital and a third-party billing contractor will warn as many as 1,000 families that their credit card information may have been compromised by a former employee. Aurora-based Revenue Enterprises recently terminated an employee that handled billing for The Children’s Hospital after it was discovered she used a family’s credit card to pay for…
UK: Patient notes – second slip-up
Alison Dayani reports: CONFIDENTIAL patient notes have been posted out to random strangers in a blunder by Birmingham mental health workers. An inquiry is under way into how the error happened – disclosing private details including medical history, National Health Service numbers, dates of birth and other information that could lead to identity fraud. Blunders…