The people currently responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient information in the UK are known as the Caldicott Guardians, so named after Dame Fiona Caldicott. Dame Fiona will now lead a new independent review into patient privacy. The new review is the result of recommendations from the NHS Future Forum, a group of medical…
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An App for Watching for Personal Data Breaches
I don’t usually comment on commercial services, but this seems blog-worthy. Damon Darlin reports: Want to know if your identity has been stolen? Or if your or your child’s Social Security number is being pawned off on the Internet? There’s an app for that. On Wednesday, AllClear ID, an identity protection service that scans the…
AU: St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne used confidential medical files to get donors
Jonathan Marshall reports: Fundraisers for St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne used patients’ confidential medical files to beg for money after they received care. The “very successful” scheme ran for “years and years” until a patient with knowledge of privacy legislation complained to hospital management. […] Victoria’s Health Records Act prohibits the release of any information…
Reidentification Theory Doesn't Save Privacy Lawsuit–Steinberg v. CVS Caremark
Here’s an update on a lawsuit I noted back in March 2011. Eric Goldman writes: CVS Caremark provided consumer data to pharma companies and data brokers. The plaintiffs alleged that the data transfers violated CVS’s privacy policies, but CVS apparently disclosed only “de-identified” data as contemplated by HIPAA. Plaintiffs couldn’t sue under HIPAA, both because…
Right-Wing Media Defend VA Abortion Bill Experts Call "Highly Invasive"
Chelsea Rudman reports: Last week, the Virginia Legislature moved closer to passing a bill that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. Media reports and experts noted that because the mandate would apply to very early pregnancies as well, a traditional ultrasound would not always be adequate to obtain the detailed images…
Loughner case: Judge allows access to psychologist's notes
Michael Kiefer reports: The judge in Jared Loughner’s case ruled that prosecutors can have access to notes made by Loughner’s prison psychologist during her evaluations of his mental health. The man charged in last year’s mass shootings near Tucson is undergoing restoration to competency at a federal hospital in Missouri. His attorney asked that federal…