A lawsuit filed on Wednesday against some of the most shadowy Internet criminals — gangs based in Eastern Europe that electronically break into business computers, steal banking passwords and transfer themselves money — is being used to pry information from a group that is nearly as reclusive as the hackers: banks whose computers have been…
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Fears about confidentiality put off doctors from accessing mental health services
In a pretty convincing demonstration that we need better privacy and security protection for sensitive health information, the Royal College of Physicians recently issued this press release on their site: A majority of doctors would avoid seeking professional advice for mental health issues in an outpatient setting, according to a new survey published by the…
Law requiring ultrasounds for abortions is struck down
An Oklahoma judge decided Tuesday that doctors do not need to perform ultrasounds and offer women detailed information about the tests before performing abortions, striking down the strictest such law in the country. Oklahoma County District Judge Vicki L. Robertson ruled that the 2008 law, which included other abortion-related provisions, violated a state constitutional provision…
Surgeon resigns from Washington University
It seems that every day, there’s a new article on ethical charges or issues involving research. The recent revelations about prominent clinical researchers getting fees from pharmaceutical companies that they did not disclose and even more recent revelations about pharmaceutical firms “ghost writing” research reports and paying doctors to put their names on them are…
UK: ICO to remind doctors who treat patients privately of their obligations to notify
Doctors who treat patients privately are being urged by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to make sure they are complying with the Data Protection Act. The privacy watchdog is launching a new initiative to ensure doctors operating privately notify with the ICO that they are handling people’s personal information. People’s individual health records are some…
FTC issues Health Breach Notification Rule
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC†or “Commissionâ€) is issuing this final rule, as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Recovery Act†or “the Actâ€). The rule requires vendors of personal health records and related entities to notify consumers when the security of their individually identifiable health information has been breached….