I recently asked OCR if they have been receiving notifications of breaches affecting less than 500 individuals. Their answer is that they have been receiving such reports, but they will not be posting such reports on their web site. The reports “will be used to inform any reports to Congress on breaches.” As OCR reminded…
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HHS proposes new privacy, security rules
Diana Manos reports: Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday new proposed privacy and security rules and resources…. The proposed rules come as part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to ensure broader…
Updates to HHS/OCR Site reveal seven more new breaches (updated)
HHS has added some more breach reports to its site. Most of them had not been reported in the mainstream media: University Health System State: Nevada Approx. # of Individuals Affected: 7,526 Date of Breach: 6/11/10 Type of Breach: Theft Location of Breached Information: Network Server Comment: This one we knew about, but not the…
R.I. ACLU sues state over rules governing medical records
Felice J. Freyer reports: A suit filed [last] Tuesday alleges that newly adopted regulations fail to adequately protect patient privacy under the state’s developing system for exchanging electronic medical records. The suit by the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union says that regulations developed by the state Department of Health are full…
Hoosiers Can Claim Dumped Medical Records
From 6News: Patients in Indiana now have a new way to retrieve sensitive information in medical records that have been dumped illegally. The attorney general’s office sorted through tens of thousands of records after investigating four cases where paper and electronic files were abandoned in Bartholomew, Shelby and Marion counties, 6News’ Rafael Sanchez reported. The…
AU: Patients' privacy put under threat
Anna Caldwell reports: The private details of Queensland Health patients are at risk of being lost or stolen and there are inadequate plans to deal with a major security breach. But the troubled department is racing to implement computerised medical records. The Auditor-General’s report into information systems governance and control has identified gaps in protocol…