John Andrews writes: Data security is a multi-dimensional job full of variables that sometimes aren’t noticed until it’s too late. And often these unforeseen breaches are completely accidental, caused by an unsuspecting user. For the most part, hospitals have sufficiently guarded their systems against threats from malevolent attackers on the outside. But while sophisticated firewall…
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GA Senate Passes Bill Opposing Involuntary Microchips
Sasha S. Horne reports: A bill that prohibits microchips from being involuntarily implanted in humans overwhelmingly passed the State Senate today. The bill would outlaw placing sensors, transmitters or other micro devices under a persons skin without their consent. It is sponsored by Republican State Senator Chip Pearson. “This is simply to try to get…
HIPAA complaints decreased significantly in 2009
Dennis Melamed provides monthly HIPAA complaint statistics based reports by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). It seems that not only did breach reports in general decline in 2009 relative to 2008, but privacy and security complaints to HHS also declined. Melamed reports: OCR received 7,116 complaints in 2009, a sharp decline from the…
Public Forum on National HIT Policy
Free Live and Archived Broadcast of Thursday 2/4 Public Forum on National HIT Policy 8:00 am – Noon eastern A national interactive public forum on the rollout of national HIT policy under HITECH, including “meaningful use,” EHR certification, and HIE. A free national Internet broadcast (live and archived for 6 months) of the joint plenary…
Americans say “NO” to medical database
Former Congressman and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr writes: In his state of the union address last week, President Barack Obama continued to hammer at the so-called “healthcare crisis” the country faces. While the president’s tone was tempered a bit as a result of the fallout from the recent Senate race in Massachusetts, he continues…
Group Therapy
Here’s an example of where patients knowingly give up privacy in exchange for more information that can help them in their struggles… Ronnie Bachman reports: The day that Dave deBronkart learned he had Stage 4 kidney cancer, his doctor handed him a prescription slip. On it, he’d scribbled ACOR.org. Within 11 minutes of submitting his…