Paul Leighton reports: A courier for Beverly Hospital last month lost lab request forms for 54 patients that included names, health insurance identification numbers and, in some cases, Social Security numbers. The courier misplaced the forms, which were in a zippered bag along with other records, “somewhere between Beverly and Gloucester,” according to a notification…
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Have "duty to warn" laws backfired?
Did a law intended to prevent violence and improve safety backfire? Given that state duty to warn laws have always raised concerns about balancing patient privacy and confidentiality with public safety, have the laws backfired by discouraging patients and doctors from addressing what needs to be addressed? One study suggests they may have: Doing Their Duty: An Empirical…
Indian Health Services addresses breach of private information
Scott Feldman reports: A folder containing personal information of 620 patients from the Indian Health Service Rosebud Service Unit was quickly recovered after being left in a public area at the IHS Rapid City Service Unit, according to a news release. IHS officials discovered the folder filled with classified information that included names, Social Security…
Michigan State Medical Society Physician Insurance Agency reports boxes with BCBSM members' PHI missing at storage facility
We may not see this one on HHS’s public breach tool (depending on the total number affected), but on July 18, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and Blue Care Network (BCN) notified the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office of an incident involving an insurance agency and its storage facility vendor. According to the…
Federal court upholds Florida's "docs vs. glocks" law
Associated Press reports: A Florida law restricting what doctors can tell patients about gun ownership was deemed to be constitutional Friday by a federal appeals court, which said it legitimately regulates professional conduct and doesn’t violate the doctors’ First Amendment free speech rights. The ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta…
Examining FTC's Data Security Enforcement
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee reports: Is the Federal Trade Commission overstepping its regulatory authority – and using questionable sources of information – in pursuing data security enforcement actions against companies, including healthcare entities, for alleged unfair and deceptive trade practices? Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform considered that and other questions during…