Most people I know want law enforcement to investigate some breaches and realize that, sometimes, that results delaying notification of those affected by a breach. But when does delay in notification become unreasonable or too long? Charles Sweeney reports that Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York delayed notification from November 2011 – when it determined…
Category: Health Data
South Miami Hospital employee stole patients' info for tax refund fraud scheme
Yes, let’s wait until Friday late in the day to disclose another insider breach at a Florida hospital for tax refund fraud. At this rate, we may have to retire the headline “Florida hospital employee steals patient info for tax refund fraud.” Local10 reports: Baptist Health says its privacy office has recently learned that a…
Better Safeguards Urged for Medical Records
Kathleen Struck reports: Hacking into patient medical records can be as easy as tapping into a hospital’s unsecured wireless network from a laptop in the parking lot. Government auditors proved it “by sitting in hospital parking lots with simple laptop computers” and obtaining “patient information from unsecured hospital wireless networks,” according to Julie K. Taitsman,…
AU: Soldiers' medical records found on road
David Murray reports: Confidential medical records detailing names, addresses and injuries of soldiers have been found scattered on a busy Brisbane street. The sensitive documents were blowing along Leichhardt St at Spring Hill near the base of an orthopaedic specialist treating the soldiers. Read more on The Australian. The orthopedist was not named. Hopefully there…
Illegal Marketer of Medicare Information Admits Role in Detroit-area Home Health Care Fraud Scheme
A health care worker who sold Medicare beneficiary information to Detroit-area home health agency operators as part of a $24.7 million home health care fraud conspiracy pleaded guilty this week for his role in the scheme, which sought to profit by billing for home healthcare services that were medically unnecessary and not provided. Clarence Cooper,…
Hello, you appear to have been hacked. Hello? Anyone there?
I’ve occasionally blogged about how frustrating it can be to try to notify an organization that they’ve apparently been hacked or had a breach. When that organization is a hospital and I can’t reach anyone, it’s even more frustrating. This week, it happened again. I ranted in Twitter a bit, and Jake Kouns suggested I…