Saskatchewan’s health minister is defending the government’s decision to allow the names and addresses of former hospital patients to be used for fundraising. The new rules, which come into effect in May, give hospital foundations access to the information so they can target people to solicit donations. Health Minister Don McMorris says he doesn’t think…
Category: Uncategorized
HIMSS: More hospital security breaches in 2010, but greater awareness
The number of healthcare facilities that reported a breach in security that requires notification increased 6 percent from 13 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2010, according to the 2010 HIMSS Analytics report on the security of patient data, commissioned by Kroll Fraud Solutions. “The positive impact…is that there is a growing level of…
HSE cited over lax data security
Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes has called on the Health Service Executive to make improving the security of its systems for transferring patient data a top priority. Click here to read the full report In his annual report for 2009, Mr Hawkes also expressed concern at, what he called, ‘the reluctance of some State bodies…
Saskatchewan gives local health foundations the OK to contact former patients for fundraising purposes
Angela Hall reports: REGINA — Local health foundations will soon be able to contact former hospital patients for fundraising purposes. A recent amendment to health privacy regulations, slated to take effect in May, will allow the names and addresses of people who received hospital services to be shared with the hospital foundation in that health…
Virginia Adds Medical Information Breach Notice Law
David Navetta writes: The state of Virginia has passed a breach notice law requiring notice of security breaches involving medical information. […] “Breach of the security of the system” means unauthorized access and acquisition of unencrypted and unredacted computerized data that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of medical information maintained by an individual or…
Technology vs Policy for privacy
Fred Trotter writes: I have long been an advocate of reasonable and measured reaction to “privacy scare tactics”. I have argued, for instance, that it was a good thing that HIPAA does not cover PHR systems. But that does not mean that I do not think privacy is important. In fact there has been something…