Several weeks ago, I blogged that I hoped Moore Medical Center in Oklahoma had its patient records backed up off-site. I was happy to read this week that they did. Clearly, patient care and availability of records is critical. But I wouldn’t go as far as Jeff Drummond did and declare that they “didn’t lose…
Category: Health Data
VA Systems Hacked From Abroad
Eric Chabrow reports: Since 2010, hackers from other nations, including China and perhaps Russia, have repeatedly breached Department of Veterans Affairs computers containing unencrypted data on some 20 million veterans, the chairman of a House panel said at a June 4 hearing. In at least one incident, hackers encrypted the unencrypted VA data, making it impossible for…
Patients details left abandoned in Stockport as ICO highlights need for better decommissioning practices
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed a monetary penalty of £100,000 after the discovery of a large number of patient records at a site formerly owned by Stockport Primary Care Trust. The information was uncovered when the site was bought in 2011 and the new owner reported that boxes of waste containing personal information had been…
Ca: $2.5-million probe into privacy breach has yet to produce results
Cindy E. Harnett reports: A year-long investigation into an alleged privacy breach in the Health Ministry has cost about $2.5 million – and has yet to produce a final report for the public or police. The investigation has been large and complex, says the Health Ministry, and there are costs associated with delving into it…
Bon Secours Notifying Patients of Information Security Breach
The Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System posted this notice on Wednesday: Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System officials announced today that they are proactively contacting former patients via letters on behalf of Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital to inform them of an electronic medical records security breach. The health system has contracted the services…
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, a hospital reports a breach
I’ve occasionally blogged about the risks of breaches following major storms or weather events. Today I’ve learned that at least one New York hospital suffered a breach after Hurricane Sandy. Due to the storm surge, Coney Island Hospital’s Ida G. Israel Community Health Center in Brooklyn experienced structural damage. The New York City Health & Hospitals…