Many entities that are not primarily healthcare entities collect and store health information. Sadly, all too many of them do not adequately protect such data. From the Information Commissioner’s Office today: Two organisations have taken action after they breached the Data Protection Act by failing to encrypt personal information on laptops that were later stolen,…
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UK: 10,000 archived records destroyed in hospital data blunder, diaries stolen from nurse's car
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust breached the Data Protection Act by accidentally destroying 10,000 archived records, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today. The records – which should have been kept in a dedicated storage area – were put in a disposal room due to lack of space. The records were then mistakenly removed from…
UK: NHS trust lost 800 patient records on unencrypted memory stick
An NHS trust has done it again – losing 800 confidential patient records on an unencrypted memory stick. The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust patient records were lost in September 2010. Shockingly, the details were on an unencrypted memory stick and worse, the 800 affected patients were never told. Leaked details include full name, date…
MN: Fairview Health Services and North Memorial Hospital inform patients of breach due to Accretive Health's security #FAIL
Lorna Benson reports: Fairview and North Memorial Hospitals are notifying more than 16,000 patients that a laptop containing their personal and medical information was stolen. The laptop belonged to a healthcare services firm that coordinates services for Fairview. The theft occurred on July 25 in the parking lot of a Minneapolis restaurant. The computer contained…
California SEIU Hospital Benefits Clerk Sentenced for $1M+ Identity Theft
This seems to be my day for updating older cases. Carl Horowitz provides an update to a breach that was first disclosed in February 2009 but actually occurred in July 2007: Mia Camille Garza describes herself as “somebody who has fallen off the path.” Her victims understandably aren’t as charitable. Last Thursday, September 22, Garza,…
Health industry lacks patient data safeguards: poll
Alina Selyukh reports: New technologies are flooding into the healthcare world, but the industry is not adequately prepared to protect patients from data breaches, according to a report published on Thursday. A vast majority of hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and insurers are eager to adapt to increasingly digital patient data. However, less than half are addressing…