Sean Brooks of CDT writes: … Recently, the Council for Responsible Genetics published a “Genetic Privacy Manual.” The online guide is a comprehensive source of information for consumers about the use of genetic information in fields ranging from human health and reproduction to the criminal justice system. The guide delves into the science of genetic testing…
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Iowa Supreme Court upholds right to privacy of medical records
Michael J. Crumb of Associated Press reports on a case where grandparents seeking their adult child’s mental and physical health records as part of a visitation dispute concerning their grandson were turned away by the Iowa Supreme Court. The grandparents had sought their daughter’s records after she refused to allow them to have contact with…
Adolescents' Needs for Health Care Privacy
Maria T. Britto, Tanya L. Tivorsak and Gail B. Slap have authored a research report, “Adolescents’ Needs for Health Care Privacy,” in Pediatrics (2010, vol. 126). Here’s the abstract: OBJECTIVE: To understand adolescents’ preferences for multidimensional aspects of privacy, including psychological, social, and physical, and con?dentiality (informational privacy) in the health care setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS:…
Doctor sex misconduct cases monitored in secrecy
Megan Twohey reports: A private program that has long kept secret watch over Illinois doctors receiving substance-abuse treatment is now monitoring health care professionals with sexual misconduct violations — including some convicted of crimes. Begun several decades ago by the state’s doctors’ lobby, the Illinois Professionals Health Program has drawn criticism for the off-the-books nature…
MA: New drug law will track more prescriptions
Sarah Favot and Caroline Hailey report on prescription monitoring in Massachusetts: Massachusetts residents face a new routine when they pick up certain prescription drugs at the pharmacy on Jan. 1. Under a law passed last summer, they will have to show a driver’s license or another approved ID before the druggist can give them prescriptions…
Privacy groups ask FTC to probe drug companies' online practices
Pamela Lewis Dolan reports: Four privacy advocacy groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, asking it to investigate the online marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies. The Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog, the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups and the World Privacy Forum filed a 144-page complaint in late November alleging that…