As an update to an incident included in the breach chronologies archived here, Leslie Howell has pleaded guilty to violating HIPAA. From the press release: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – John C. Richter, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, announced today that LESLIE A. HOWELL, 30, of Oklahoma City, pled guilty today…
Category: Health Data
Man 'Devastated' When Doctor Tells Boss Of HIV Status
A Boston man said his right to privacy was broken and now he’s suing his hospital and doctor for negligence. NewsCenter 5’s Kelley Tuthill reported that the man, who did not use his name, is HIV positive and that information was accidentally given to his boss. The man said the mistake has been devastating. “I…
U tightens medical privacy policies
Carlos Mayorga reports in the Daily Utah Chronicle, the U. of Utah student newspaper: Officials in several U health science facilities are working to toughen enforcement of privacy policies and procedures after an audit in October 2007 revealed several key vulnerabilities in employees’ ability to protect patient information. For two months in late 2007, four…
Everett woman arrested for alleged ID theft
Jackson Holtz reports on HeraldNet: An Everett woman was arrested Tuesday, accused of stealing another woman’s identity to get health insurers to pay for doctor visits and prescription narcotics, Washington State Patrol investigators said. Police allege the woman, 48, received nearly $180,000 in medical services and prescription drugs in her identity theft scheme. In 2006,…
Gilbert couple receive strangers' medical records via fax
Gary Harper writes for 3 On Your Side: Junk faxes are always a nuisance, but wait until you hear what one Gilbert couple is receiving on their fax machine. This is kind of a weird one because the faxes are coming from an insurance company. What kind of faxes are we talking about? Well, how…
25 national organizations urge privacy in e-prescribing
A press release I just received by e-mail: Twenty five organizations, including the ACLU, the Republican Liberty Caucus, the American Council for the Blind and the National Association of Social Workers joined forces via the Coalition for Patient Privacy to urge Congress to include privacy protections in any federal electronic prescribing legislation. Read the Coalition’s…