HHS has another big update to their public-facing breach tool. While many of the incidents they have added have already been noted on this blog, there are some ones that have not been mentioned here previously. Here are the incidents we did know about already (links are to previous coverage of the incident on PHIprivacy.net):…
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Medical Privacy: Digital Technology Can Leave Your Health History Exposed
From EFF: The digitization of medical records is being pitched to the public as a way to revolutionize healthcare. But rapid technological innovation and lagging privacy laws are leaving patients – and their most sensitive information – vulnerable to exposure and abuse, especially in this age of “big data.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is…
Heartbleed Bug Endangers Medical Data, Internet as a Whole
So far, I’m not seeing much coverage of the Heartbleed bug and the security of patient information, although the Heartbleed crypto bug may be the biggest security news/threat of the year. Chris Wiltz writes: A bug has been discovered by security solutions provider Codenomicon Defensics and Google Security that would allow hackers to access a…
AL: Patient data exposed on the internet due to subcontractor's error
There’s been another addition to HHS’s public breach tool. Punuru J.M. Reddy, MD, Inc. in Alabama reported a breach involving their billing vendor and business associate, PracMan, Inc. The incident, which affected 1,179 of their patients, reportedly occurred on August 22, 2013 and was added to HHS’s breach tool yesterday. In a statement issued March…
MT: Missing binder at ranch for youth with mental health problems
Zach Benoit reports: The discovery earlier this year that a binder full of client information had been lost or destroyed in 2013 has prompted the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch to fortify efforts to ensure that such information stays safe by strengthening confidentiality practices and enhancing education efforts. “We want to make sure that if…
Where there's a breach, there's a lawsuit
Abby Sewell reports: A patient whose personal information was stolen in a break-in at a medical billing contractor’s office in Torrance has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company and Los Angeles County. Two Los Angeles law firms filed a complaint Friday in Superior Court. The suit was initially filed on behalf of a single…