The economic stimulus law is creating privacy risks as it forces fast development of electronic health records, according to at least one privacy advocate. The Privacy and Security Workgroup of the Health and Human Services Department’s Health Information Technology Standards Committee presented its recommendations to the committee on July 21. It included a framework of…
Panel wants privacy protection for electronic medical records
A federal advisory panel on patient privacy wants encryption, strong access controls and audits to protecting patients’ medical records under the program advanced by the economic stimulus law, according to the co-chair of the group. “The data will be encrypted and not set for easy access,†Steven Findlay, co-chair of the Health Information Technology Standards…
Too much personal data released
Personal information of almost 900 people was given to a public-housing resident [in Virginia] who requested a list of those who had been banned from Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority property. Hampton police and the housing authority maintain a list of people who have been banned by police from Section 8 and public-housing property in…
Big credit card breach in Japan
Alico Japan said Thursday that credit card data on possibly tens of thousands of its insurance policyholders had apparently leaked, resulting in massive fraudulent transactions. It said that up to 110,000 policyholders could be affected. Names of policyholders, their credit card numbers and the expiry dates of the cards were used to make fraudulent purchases…
U.S. Pays $20,000 to Settle Forced IUD Removal Case
A New Mexico woman who alleged a physician’s assistant at a health clinic expressed anti-abortion views while removing her IUD without her permission won a $20,000 settlement from the federal government, On Point has learned. Ashley Van Patten’s attorney provided On Point with the settlement agreement after the U.S. filed dismissal papers in court earlier…
Leahy reintroduces data breach bill
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has reintroduced a data breach bill that would set tougher rules for government agencies and private sector firms regarding consumers’ personal information. This will be the third time around the block for the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act, which has cleared the Judiciary Committee, but never come to…