Regulators have logged dozens, even hundreds, of complaints against some health providers for violating federal patient privacy law. Warnings are doled out privately, but sanctions are imposed only rarely. Companies say they take privacy seriously. by Charles Ornstein and Annie Waldman ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2015, 4 a.m. This story was co-published with NPR’s Shots blog. When CVS Health customers complained…
Category: Health Data
Personal Info On Hundreds Of Oregon Veterans Compromised
Kristian Foden-Vencil reports: The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs says the personal information of hundreds of veterans may have been compromised. ODVA Director Cameron Smith said discharge and release papers may have been in the possession of an unauthorized person, but so far there’s no evidence of misuse. “A full investigation is pending … but…
Ca: New details about Calgary healthcare workers privacy breach
Brooks DeCillia reports: CBC News has uncovered new details about Calgary healthcare workers “inappropriately” accessing a patient’s information last fall. One Alberta Health Services (AHS) employee was fired and 47 disciplined for the alleged privacy breaches. Confidential AHS briefing notes — unearthed by CBC News through a freedom of information request — detail how officials investigated 160…
New Mexican dental patients’ records found dumped along West Mesa
KRQE reports: An Albuquerque man said he found hundreds of medical records dumped on the West Mesa. The medical records include people’s addresses, insurance information and social security numbers. The business responsible for them said it has no idea how the paperwork ended up there. Things at Cottonwood Comfort Dental in Albuquerque weren’t so comfortable on…
OCR should fine entities that close and just dump patient records
Seriously. How many times will see news reports of how medical practices closed their doors and just dumped patient records? Here’s another case this week, reported by WSFA in Alabama, who made great efforts to track down someone – anyone – who might be able to help identify the culprit (and yes, I use the…
Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana notifies Indigo members whose billing statements were erroneously sent to others
Another problem with mailing bills that results in a HIPAA breach. Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana, Inc. (PHPNI) posted an FAQ on December 18 about an incident affecting Indigo members. Their report to HHS indicates that 1,708 patients were affected. What happened? An error occurred in the assembly of a premium billing statement mailing on December 8,…