Add this to your “small breaches, big impact” analyses. As seen on the New Zealand Herald: A doctor’s office disclosed a patient’s childhood abuse when a letter was sent to the person’s neighbour accidentally. The incident happened when the patient told their GP about past abuse, who referred them on to counselling to help work…
Category: Health Data
Planned Parenthood: Potential Patient Records Breach in Dubuque
On May 6, 2016, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland discovered a potential breach of patients’ personal health information. Hard copy patient records from August 1, 2008 – April 30, 2014 may have been accessed by unauthorized parties during the April 2016 closure and subsequent sale of our Dubuque health care center. This potential breach is…
UK: NHS seeks cure for its costly digital headache
Gill Hitchcock reports: This May two NHS trusts were fined almost £400,000 for failing to protect confidential information. Chelsea and Westminster revealed the email addresses of HIV service users, while Blackpool teaching hospitals published private information about thousands of staff online. But are these incidents simply isolated sloppiness or a growing problem as the NHS digitises its records?…
Texas podiatrist pleads not guilty to fraud, identity theft
Field Walsh reports: Local podiatrist Gregg Petty pleaded not guilty to fraud and identity theft at a hearing Wednesday in a Texarkana federal court. Petty, 52, appeared for arraignment with Texarkana attorney Thomas Johnson in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas. Johnson entered pleas of not guilty on Petty’s behalf to 22…
YKHC Investigating Possible Credit Card Fraud Against Employees
Anna Rose MacArthur reports: Credit card information from Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation employees may have been compromised. YKHC and Bethel Police are investigating. Tiffany Zullkosky of YKHC says the alleged fraud may have been committed by a YKHC employee. The fraud would only affect employees who’ve used personal credit cards while booking combined personal and…
Business Associate’s Failure to Safeguard Nursing Home Residents’ PHI Leads to $650,000 HIPAA Settlement
This works out to over $1570 per record. Catholic Health Care Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule after the theft of a CHCS mobile device compromised the protected health information (PHI) of hundreds of nursing…