The Third Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security by Ponemon Institute, sponsored by ID Experts® was released today. Their findings are what we would expect, i.e., fairly discouraging, with entities reporting even more multiple breaches than previously. From their executive summary: … healthcare organizations face an uphill battle in their efforts to…
Category: Health Data
HITRUST's Analysis of U.S. Breach Data Finds Little Progress and Concern for Un-reported Breaches
The following is a press release from HITRUST, released today: -According to the Health Information Trust Alliance’s (HITRUST) analysis of U.S. healthcare data breaches from 2009 to the present, the healthcare industry has made little progress in reducing the number of breaches with troubling statistics seen from the same types of organizations, breaches and locations….
Co-conspirator in ID theft and fraud scheme convicted
Back on July 23, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced: Ashley C. Drummond, 27, of Belleville, Illinois, and Susan L. Harris, 27, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, were indicted on July 19, 2012, by a Grand Jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, East…
LA: Almost 400 victims identified in massive identity theft scheme involving Louisiana State University hospital system employee
Michael Oliver reports: Seven Baton Rouge people are facing multiple charges, including identity theft charges, after a scheme that left nearly 400 victims in 12 states. State Police say Pamela Reams, worked in the billing department of the LSU Hospital System. She used her position to access several financial databases to obtain account information. She…
Grady issues correction to claim that ADPI breach went on for nine months
In response to inquiries initiated by this blog after noting a discrepancy between Grady’s statement and ADPI’s statement concerning the timeframe of the breach, Grady has just issued the following correction: Billing contractor data breach includes Grady EMS patient information Some Grady EMS ambulance service patients are being notified that selected personal information may have…
Three more breaches, and ignorance is definitely not bliss
Three additions to HHS’s breach tool, and so far, I can’t find anything on any of these breaches: “Surgical Associates of Utica, PC”,NY,”Quanterion Solutions, Inc.“,1017,9/18/2012,Theft,Network Server,11/16/2012,, “First Step Counseling, Inc.“,NJ,,638,5/1/2011-08/05/2011,Unauthorized Access/Disclosure,Paper,11/16/2012,, “CVS Caremark”,RI,,955,8/13/2012,Theft,Paper,11/16/2012,, I wonder if the First Step Counseling breach was an insider stealing patient data for tax refund fraud. I’d call and ask…