Did a law intended to prevent violence and improve safety backfire? Given that state duty to warn laws have always raised concerns about balancing patient privacy and confidentiality with public safety, have the laws backfired by discouraging patients and doctors from addressing what needs to be addressed? One study suggests they may have: Doing Their Duty: An Empirical…
FBI: No arrests yet in scam targeting migrant kids
Juan Lozano of Associated Press reports that scammers have obtained the personal information of unaccompanied young immigrants at two U.S. military bases – and they’re using that info to get relatives to pay nonexistent fees: The FBI is trying to determine how many people have been victimized by the scheme, in which con artists use…
Indian Health Services addresses breach of private information
Scott Feldman reports: A folder containing personal information of 620 patients from the Indian Health Service Rosebud Service Unit was quickly recovered after being left in a public area at the IHS Rapid City Service Unit, according to a news release. IHS officials discovered the folder filled with classified information that included names, Social Security…
Michigan State Medical Society Physician Insurance Agency reports boxes with BCBSM members' PHI missing at storage facility
We may not see this one on HHS’s public breach tool (depending on the total number affected), but on July 18, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and Blue Care Network (BCN) notified the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office of an incident involving an insurance agency and its storage facility vendor. According to the…
Delaware Adopts Law Requiring the Destruction of Consumers’ Personally Identifiable Information.
Steven Caponi and Elizabeth Sloan of Blank Rome LLP write: On July 1, 2014, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed into law Delaware House Bill 295, which amends Section 6 of the Delaware Code relating to trade and commerce. The new law, 6 Delaware Code §§50C-101 thru 50C-401, places new obligations on commercial entities with respect…
MI: Wendy’s Restaurant in Big Rapids identified as location of data breach
Rick Charmoli reports: A Wendy’s Restaurant in Big Rapids has been identified as the source of a data security breach that affected several debit and credit card holders in Mecosta County. The incident is not likely related to fraudulent charges that showed up on the accounts of several people in the Cadillac area. The Big…