Cheryl Powell reports: Akron General Medical Center employees were fired recently for violating hospital and federal privacy rules involving the fatal shooting of a patient in the intensive-care unit. John H. Wise, 66, is accused of shooting and killing his wife, Barbara, at the hospital Aug. 4. She died the next day. Hospital spokesman Jim…
Category: Health Data
NZ: Personal info on children, beneficiaries and contractors of Ministry of Social Development found on kiosk computers
Radio New Zealand reports what appears to be a data leak that may have started two years ago: Information about children in the care of Child Youth Family, beneficiaries and contractors employed by the Ministry of Social Development has been freely accessible through public computer kiosks at Work Income offices. Freelance journalist and blogger Keith Ng…
Former University of Maryland Medical Center employee sentenced for role in ID theft scheme
Associated Press reports that Kenneth Elliott McDowell , a Baltimore resident formerly employed at University of Maryland Medical Center and Bon Secours Hospital has been sentenced to time served and 6 months home detention for his role in an ID theft/fraud scheme. McDowell reportedly took patient records home “to hide that he was not completing his work…
Failure to shred: radiology service notifies patients of potential breach (update1)
KOLR10/KOZL News reports: A Springfield medical group that provides radiology services to CoxHealth is telling its patients to watch their personal information. Litton and Giddings Radiological Associates, P.C. (LGRA) says its janitorial service inadvertently sent patient paper billing records to a Springfield recycling company without first shredding the documents. The incident involved a business associate’s…
CMS response to data breaches and medical identity theft – OIG report
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) maintains the protected health information of millions of Medicare beneficiaries. If CMS has a security breach, they’re obligated to report it just like other HITECH-covered entities. But when HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) looked at whether CMS was complying with the requirements, they found deficiencies: CMS reported…
Despite thefts, no new Medicare IDs
Kelly Kennedy reports: More than a quarter-million Medicare beneficiaries are victims of identity theft and hampered in getting health care benefits because the government won’t issue new IDs, according to an investigation report released today. Medicare officials say it’s too expensive and too many agencies are involved to reissue those numbers to patients victimized by…