Chad Mira reports: An auction at the Gulf Pines Hospital in Port St. Joe has former employees worried about a HIPAA law violation and possibly even identity theft. One past employee says old files were still in the hospital, and people could have walked away with them after the auction last week. Employees are frustrated…
Lawsuit alleges CVS Caremark violates HIPAA
As if CVS hasn’t already had enough trouble with the FTC and HHS, now six pharmacies in Texas are suing CVS Caremark. As Health Data Management reports, the pharmacies allege that the pharmacy chain and mail-order pharmacy benefit management firm have engaged in racketeering under the federal RICO law, trade secret misappropriation, and — most…
Michigan Abortion Centers Guilty of Violating HIPAA in Dumping Patient Records
Steven Ertelt reports the follow-up to an improper disposal of patient records breach covered previously on this site: The federal government has found three Michigan abortion businesses guilty of violating the HIPAA statutes as a result of their illegally dumping patient records in trash bins outside their facilities. Local pro-life advocates found the records in the…
Education sector most affected by malware
Angela Moscaritolo reports: During the first six months of 2010, academia was the sector most impacted by malware, according to a report issued Monday by anti-virus firm Trend Micro. The report, which covers cybercrime incidents from January to June, states that 44 percent of all malware infections hit schools and universities, which often have “complex, distributed…
PA: Nurse Could Lose License for Snooping
Dave Bohman reports on a case where snooping for personal reasons not only led to termination of the job, but may also cost a nurse her license to practice: In the wake of a WNEP investigative story this summer, Pennsylvania’s Department of State is taking steps to revoke the nursing license of Naomi Ryan, who…
UK: Patient records left in Stafford Hospital car park
Confidential records of patients at Stafford Hospital have been found in the Accident and Emergency car park. Bosses at Stafford Hospital have said such incidents are rare and confirmed any breaches of security would be taken seriously. Brenda and Stephen Yeomans, bo th 46, were visiting Brenda’s father on Wednesday evening when they saw a…