Claire Mellor reports: The regulatory body for physicians in Nova Scotia has reprimanded a Halifax physician for inappropriately accessing injured workers’ charts at the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia. A College of Physicians & Surgeons of Nova Scotia decision released Thursday said Dr. Donald Haigh consented to a reprimand for breaching expected standards of…
Category: Health Data
TX: Former heart clinic employee admits to illegally disclosing patient’s medical records
Yet another “small” breach with big harm. Kevin Krause reports: Ebony Shonte Echols was not happy with a patient — a commercial airline pilot — who complained about the heart clinic where she worked. So she sent his health information to the Federal Aviation Administration against his wishes, federal authorities said. Echols, 35, a former employee…
Brother of the Year: Medical ID Theft Suspect Arrested, Accused of Impersonating Long-Lost Brother
After an eight-month investigation prompted by an NBC Bay Area report, local authorities arrested and extradited Gary Wayne Bogle, charging him with 10 felony counts of false impersonation for using his brother’s identity to receive medical treatment. Read the report by Vicky Nguyen and David Paredes on NBC Bay Area. Related: Ponemon Fifth Annual Study on Medical Identity Theft
UK: ICO fines HIV support network for repeated e-mail gaffes exposing individuals’ names
The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined the Bloomsbury Patient Network (BPN) after it inadvertently revealed the identities of HIV patients on two occasions due to placing all addresses for a newsletter distribution list in the “to” field instead of the “bcc” field. BPN was fined £250, which may seem somewhat mild considering the potential embarrassment to individuals….
Hospitals Aren’t the Only Ones Bleeding Health Records
Kaveh Waddell reports on an issue near and dear to my heart: not all entities that collect or store health information are HIPAA-covered entities. Earlier this year, as one example, we saw the Systema Software leak that impacted numerous firms with a wealth of workers compensation claims. And last year, we saw many employees’ wellness data breached…
Meanwhile, back at the VA….
The VA’s monthly report to Congress for November has been released, and we’re still seeing low-tech breaches involving papers being left where they shouldn’t be left. Exhibit A, from the VA in Boston: An 11-page clinic list was found in a public bathroom in a heavily trafficked area. The list had been printed on November 4,…