Contra Costa County officials mailed out notices Friday warning that the names of residents who owed money to the county health department were inadvertently published in a public document, violating patient privacy. The names were published in a report to the Board of Supervisors dated July 27, 2010. It was generated by the County’s Office…
Category: Health Data
Hospital janitor and girlfriend charged with stealing patients' identities
Naomi Martin reports: Federal prosecutors charged a Westwego couple Friday with stealing the identities of hospital patients to finance thousands of dollars’ worth of purchases, including an $800 diamond ring and a 42-inch plasma television, according to court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Clyde Washington, 50, allegedly stole patient documents while employed as…
UK: South Central SHA data breaches affect over 1,800 staff
Health Service Journal calls attention to two breaches that occurred in October involving the South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of NHS South of England. According to the December board minutes: The [first] incident occurred in the human resources team in October 2011. The hard copy personnel file was removed from the secure human resources…
Members of Congress want answers fromTRICARE Management on SAIC breach
Five members of the House of Representatives have sent a letter to TRICARE Management Authority concerning the recent SAIC breach that affected over 4.9 million members of the military and their dependents. In a series of questions, the legislators ask for details as to TRICARE’s policies and, in particular, any policies or contracts it had…
Ca: Doctor probed for improper health record access
CBC News reports: A doctor with Covenant Health is under investigation by Alberta’s College of Physicians and Surgeons for improperly accessing electronic health records to find out information about her partner’s ex-husband. The matter was referred to the college by Covenant Health, after an investigation by Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work. Work found…
Supreme Court Looks On HIV-Positive Pilot's Emotional Distress Mostly Unmoved
Yesterday I blogged about oral arguments in Federal Aviation Administration v. Cooper, a case that asks the Supreme Court to decide whether The Privacy Act of 1974 allows awards for emotional distress when there is no other harm or injury demonstrated. Over on Huffington Post, Mike Sacks provides a write-up of how oral argument went,…