David Maass reports: Patient X decides to pursue the simplest path to obtaining medical marijuana. He visits the office of a doctor who specializes in medical-marijuana evaluations. If Patient X can articulate why marijuana would help alleviate his condition, the doctor issues what’s essentially a prescription: a one-page “recommendation.” It costs maybe $30 or $40,…
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Mass. Appeals Court Allows Suit by Man Who Volunteered DNA Sample, Wants Genetic Profile Destroyed
Debra Cassens Weiss reports: A Massachusetts man who voluntarily provided DNA in 2002 to police investigating a murder may pursue a privacy invasion suit seeking return of his genetic profile, a state appeals court has ruled. Keith Amato claims in his class action suit that police promised the sample and data would not be retained…
Providence police, hospitals at odds in medical privacy debate
Amanda Milkovits has a great report on the thorny intersection between law enforcement, state medical privacy laws, and HIPAA: A judge in a murder trial in June wanted to see the medical records of a woman whose husband was charged with killing her. Rhode Island Hospital’s records department rejected the court order –– and answered…
Children's Clinics integrates fingerprint technology with EHR
Molly Merrill reports: Children’s Clinics for Rehabilitative Services in Southern Arizona is using fingerprint biometrics to increase access to – and the security of – its new electronic health record system. Officials said the new technology was the result of Children’s Clinics recent transition to a NextGen ambulatory EHR after years of using paper charts….
meridianEMR Files Lawsuit Against UroChart and The Shappley Clinic
The following is a press release issued by meridianEMR. Although it is mostly about alleged theft of trade secrets/software, it also includes allegations of risk to patient privacy: meridianEMR®, the Livingston, New Jersey-based market leader in Electronic Health Records (EHR) for Urology, formally announces that on June 16, 2011 it filed a lawsuit against Intuitive Medical Software® (UroChart®),…
Why the Proposed Massachusetts HIV Testing Bill Is Bad for Patients
Paul E. Sax, M.D. comments: As I’ve written about here multiple times, I’m not a big fan of the HIV testing law in our state. First, there’s the requirement for written informed consent, something that every state (except a couple) has wisely abandoned. Second, it’s more than a testing law — it’s also an HIV privacy law, which is…