Dan Joling of Associated Press reports that voters in Alaska will be voting Tuesday on a ballot measure as to whether a parent or guardian must be notified if a pregnant girl under 18 seeks an abortion. Ballot Measure 2 pits the anti-abortion advocates Alaska Family Council and Alaskans for Parental Rights vs. Planned Parenthood,…
Simple Mailing Mistakes Could Now Be HIPAA Violations Under New HHS Fundraising Rules
Covered entities would be wise to become familiar with the new July 14 proposed rules for fundraising, which could turn an accidental mailing into a costly mistake. One expert says the proposed fundraising rules are straightforward overall but that it is more revealing to look at the areas where HHS is seeking comments. The final…
Panel drafts privacy recommendations for health data exchanges
Jaikumar Vijayan reports: A “tiger team” that advises the federally charted Health IT Policy Committee will submit a list of recommendations on Thursday for ensuring the privacy and security of personally identifiable health information in Health Data Exchanges. The recommendations were developed in response to a specific set of privacy-related questions raised by the Office…
Japan plans to make mental health exams part of employee checkups
Over in Japan, the government is planning to require all private sector employees be screened for mental health problems as part of their regular company medical exams each year. Physicians will ask a few questions, and depending on the employee’s answers, the physician may make a referral that the employee should be seen by a…
Stolen Yale laptop has health info of 1,000 people
Yale School of Medicine today began notifying approximately 1,000 people whose clinical health information was contained on a laptop computer that was stolen last month. There is no indication that any individual information on the computer has been misused, officials said. Yale and New Haven police departments have been working together and will continue to…
UK: Medical notes lost in car park
Confidential patient medical records and a blank prescription pad have been found strewn across a Dudley clinic’s car park. The shocking lapse in security over patients’ intimate medical details could land The Central Clinic, Hall Street, in trouble as the blunder breaks several data protection laws and regulations. […] Dr Paul Brian Varney Brettell, whose…