Eric A. Klein and Christine C. Cohn write in The National Law Journal: President Obama has declared that electronic medical records will “reduce error rates, reduce our long-term cost of health care and create jobs.” (“Obama’s Prime Time Press Briefing,” The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2009.) Congress has authorized $19 billion to implement provisions…
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Crawford & Company employee pleads guilty to stealing claimants’ personal information
Last week, I posted a copy of a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland stating that Shanell Angelia Bowser had pleaded guilty to stealing personally identifying information of insurance claimants submitted to her employer, described as an unnamed medical insurance adjuster. The release also mentioned that Bowser and/or her co-schemers had also…
MD: Insurance company clerk admits to identity theft and bank fraud scheme
Baltimore Woman and Co-Schemers Fraudulently Obtained At Least $174,000 in Cash and Merchandise from 89 Individual Victims in a Three Year Period Baltimore, Maryland – Shanell Angelia Bowser, age 30, of Baltimore pleaded guilty today to stealing personal identifying information of insurance claimants from her employer to fraudulently obtain credit used to purchase merchandise and…
(Update) UK: Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust breaches the Data Protection Act
This is a follow-up to the incident previously reported here. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has found Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in breach of the Data Protection Act after the Trust reported a desktop computer containing sensitive personal information relating to around 3,500 patients was stolen. Although the computer was password protected, it was…
The benefits of an opt-out policy
As a privacy advocate, I generally advocate for opt-in as opposed to opt-out policies. But here’s a report from the medical field that shows the potential benefits of opt-out. Micheal Carter of aidsmap reports: Implementing a policy of routine opt-out HIV testing led to the diagnosis of 3000 HIV infections in children admitted to hospital…
OIS Commentary: And some walls will come tumbling down
One of yesterday’s posts on PHIprivacy.net reports a data breach involving Kelsey-Seybold Clinic that has not been reported in the mainstream media. I contacted Kelsey-Seybold after a site visitor alerted me to the breach. The report is frustratingly short on details, though, because Kelsey-Seybold could — and did — simply ignore questions it did not…