Kevin Fogarty reports: It may now be possible for anyone, even if they follow rigorous privacy and anonymity practices, to be identified by DNA data from people they do not even know. A paper published in January in the journal Science describes a process by which it’s possible to identify by name the donors of…
Tulsa Medical Records Turn Up On Ponca City Newspaper Loading Dock
I missed this report when it first appeared on March 4. Emory Bryan reports: Imagine finding a stack of someone’s medical records, with all their personal and private information. That’s what happened to a stack of records from Tulsa’s Saint Francis Hospital. The records showed up in Ponca City, and it might have gone unnoticed,…
Officials deny hospital source of media ‘leak’
It started with this report that recording artist Joel Mendoza was planning on suing Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center for releasing his personal information, including his address, to the media. Mendoza had reportedly been the victim of a violent robbery attack. Although police had identified two suspects in the attack, they had not been arrested…
Arkansas State U. faculty victims of tax refund fraud, but source of breach still unknown
One month after it became aware that some faculty members had become victims of tax refund fraud, Arkansas State University still hasn’t figured out whether the breach was of their system or a third-party vendor’s. By now, 150 employees have reported problems. KAIT8 has the story.
Maine League Testifies On Breach Notice Bill
CUSystem writes: The Maine Credit Union League and representatives from Maine’s credit unions recently testified on two bills about breach notices and student-loan insurance bills, before two separate state legislative committees in Augusta. L.D. 158 requires that notice of a security breach must be made no later than 30 days after discovery of the breach…
Can Covered Entities Utilize Text Messaging and Text Paging Without Violating HIPAA?
Lynn Sessions and Cory Fox write: Text messaging allows healthcare providers to deliver simple, relevant, and customizable health information instantaneously to their patients, like reminders to obtain a vaccine, take a medication or come to an important follow-up appointment. Text paging, a form of text messaging frequently used by healthcare professionals, can help ensure patient…