Steven Harmon reports: In a puzzling breach of security, computer storage devices containing identification information of 800,000 Californians using the state’s child support services have gone missing. The Department of Child Support Service reported on Thursday the data devices were lost March 12 en route to California from the Colorado facilities of IBM, one of…
Category: Health Data
Howard University Hospital Notifies Over 34,000 Patients of Laptop Theft
*sigh* Howard University Hospital this week sent notification to patients of a potential disclosure of their protected health information in late January. A former contractor’s personal laptop containing patient information was stolen, according to a statement by the hospital. The laptop, taken from the former contractor’s vehicle, was password protected. […] The hospital has sent…
How to ensure a lost mobile device won’t cause a data breach
ID Experts points us to a post by Pamela Lewis Dolan: Physicians who own mobile devices should make the following assumption: If they lose a smartphone or tablet, someone is going to try to see what’s on it. With an estimated 80% of physicians using a mobile device on the job, a lot of patient…
Abortion records found in Kansas City metro recycling bin (updated)
A very disturbing breach in Kansas reported by the Kansas City Star: An Overland Park, Kan., woman made a disturbing discovery Saturday as she dumped her recycling inside a yellow and green bin in front of Brookridge Elementary School: More than 1,000 private abortion records sat in plain view, dumped on top of magazines and…
FI: Book and feature film found to violate doctor-patient confidentiality
I recently mentioned a lawsuit against a doctor by a former drug addiction patient who alleges the doctor violated confidentiality by basing the main character in his book on details she had shared with him in her treatment. This morning, I came across a patient confidentiality case in Finland, and was interested to read…
UK: Warwickshire-based company in medical data breach
A Warwickshire-based company has committed to taking action to protect personal data, following a breach of the Data Protection Act (DPA). The breach occurred when a system used by Pharmacyrepublic Limited to record the medication handed out to around 2000 patients was stolen from one of its premises, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today….