Over on Healthcare IT News, Erin McCann has a bit more on the Samaritan Hospital breach I blogged about yesterday. I found some of her assertions interesting, and because I’m not sure I agree with her on her reading of HIPAA’s requirements, thought I would discuss them here. Erin bases most of her commentary on…
Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital avoids $250,000 penalty for late breach notification (updated)
UPDATE: In a statement sent to PHIprivacy.net on March 7, a CDPH spokesperson writes: The original $250,000 penalty posting was an error discovered during the appeal. The correct calculation should have been $100/day times the number of days the facility failed to report the breach to CDPH, for a total penalty of $1100. So after…
Nurse posing with corpse sparks outrage
What is the matter with some healthcare professionals? AFP reports on this case from Switzerland: A nurse in Switzerland who posted pictures of herself on Facebook sitting next to the corpse of an old woman is coming under fire from her profession, while prosecutors say they have launched an investigation. Saint Gallen’s regional prosecutors said…
Hearings set for privacy charges
Charges are still hanging over the head of a nurse accused of accessing over 5,800 patients’ information improperly over a period of years. I had previously noted the incident on this blog in 2011 when it was first made public. Now it seems like it will be June before we know whether she will be…
SCDOR wins one in court
More good news for the state of South Carolina: a judge has dismissed a lawsuit against them filed by former state Sen. John Hawkins over their massive hack in 2011. Although the ruling is not yet available online, Meg Kinnard of Associated Press reports: In an order obtained by The Associated Press, Circuit Judge G. Thomas…
When – if ever – is notification delayed, notification denied?
Most people I know want law enforcement to investigate some breaches and realize that, sometimes, that results delaying notification of those affected by a breach. But when does delay in notification become unreasonable or too long? Charles Sweeney reports that Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York delayed notification from November 2011 – when it determined…