From an editorial in New Scientist: DNA profiling technology has improved by leaps and bounds since its potential was first glimpsed by geneticist Alec Jeffreys in 1984. But as DNA databases grow, so does the risk that coincidental matches will lead to false convictions. This week we report on the publication of a letter in…
Customers alerted to BlueCross data breach
Customers of Chattanooga-based insurer BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee slowly are being notified by mail of a potential breach of their personal information. This week, BCBS will provide updated data to the public on exactly how many customers were exposed when 57 hard drives were pilfered in October from a storage closet at the insurer’s Eastgate…
Does HITECH necessitate a change in your Notice of Privacy Practices?
Attorney Jeff Drummond blogs: Changing your NoPP? As you know, the original Privacy Rule requried covered entities to adopt a “Notice of Privacy Practices” to tell patients (or beneficiaries if you’re a health plan) how they plan to use and disclose the individuals’ PHI. You get this sheet each time you go to a doctor…
Ex-UCLA researcher pleads guilty to record breach
Shaya Tayefe Mohajer of Associated Press reports: A former UCLA School of Medicine researcher pleaded guilty to reading confidential medical records of celebrities, high-profile patients and his co-workers in federal court on Friday. Los Angeles resident Huping Zhou, 38, entered a conditional guilty plea to four counts of violating federal medical privacy laws in a…
Balancing medical privacy and criminal prosecution
If HIPAA is violated, can any evidence obtained be used against you in a criminal proceeding? According to a case in Maryland: yes. John Wesley Hall Jr. of FourthAmendment.com writes: Defendant’s BAC [blood alcohol level] level for DUI [driving under the influence] was obtained in violation of HIPAA since a trial subpoena was issued by…
(follow-up) NJ: Trial to begin for Florida Man and Driver on Federal Charges for Their Roles In a $40 Million International Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Ring
The trial of a Miami Beach, Fla., man and his driver for their roles in a telemarketing fraud and identity theft scheme that attempted to defraud financial institutions and their account holders throughout the United States of millions of dollars through the unauthorized and fraudulent debit of customer bank accounts, is scheduled to start with…