Kevin Vink rerports: A local physician reported the loss of control over more than 1,500 patient records when she was unable to retrieve them upon leaving the Didsbury Medical Clinic to start a clinic of her own, according to officials. Following an investigation by the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta, Rachel Hayward, portfolio…
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Sensitive Aberdeen child data found in Dundee skip
Frank Urquhart reports that Aberdeen City Council has ordered an urgent investigation after “extremely sensitive” child welfare documents were found at a council dump in Dundee. The documents include home addresses and medical details of social work service users and other personal information. Read more on The Scotsman.
Tiger Team reviews accounting of patient data disclosures
Patrick Ouellette reports: Yesterday’s HIT Policy Committee Privacy & Security Tiger Team meeting discussed the background of accounting of disclosures for patient data and brought forward prevalent topics for its Sept. 6 virtual hearing. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) had been investigating the accounting of disclosures issue and requested that the Tiger Team hold…
NIH in Pact to Protect Privacy of Family, Maintain Research
Ron Winslow reports a settlement in the long-running dispute concerning the use of cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks without her consent and then used by researchers for over 60 years: The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday said it reached an unprecedented agreement to protect the privacy of the family of a woman whose…
HHS Inspector General: Obamacare Privacy Protections Way Behind Schedule; Rampant Violations Of Law Possible
Avik Roy reports: In order for Obamacare to work, the government will need to know a lot about your financial, medical, and employment situation. Has the Obama administration set up adequate safeguards to protect Americans’ privacy under the law? According to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services,…
Sneaky Ways Wellness Apps Invade Your Privacy
Nancy Collamer reports: As useful as health apps and fitness apps may be, a stunning new report from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer education and advocacy nonprofit, says they may also pose “considerable privacy risks” for users. The group came to this conclusion after studying 43 of the most popular wellness apps (half for iPhones, half for Androids; 23…