Nearly 300 million confidential medical records have transferred officially from the government to an academic organisation outside the NHS, Computer Weekly has learned. The transferred records contain patient-identifiable information on nearly every stay by patients in hospitals in England, and visits to an accident and emergency department. Also within the transferred records are 215 million confidential…
Private Access seeks experimental treatments for patients without giving up privacy
Dean Takahashi reports: Robert Shelton was a successful real estate developer who became wealthy creating buildings such as the Palm Beach Convention Center. But his world was rocked when his son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. He then faced a quandary. He needed to find treatment for his son, but doing so…
Medical Mutual of Ohio reports missing personal information of 36,000 Ohio retirees
Mary Vanac reports: Eleven computer disks containing personal information for more than 36,000 Ohio retirees and employees are missing, likely somewhere in the U.S. postal system. Cleveland-based medical insurer Medical Mutual of Ohio reported the missing disks early Thursday afternoon, stressing that none of the information appears to have fallen into the wrong hands….
Trashed documents raise ID-theft issues
It’s difficult not to feel bad for someone like Fred Wilkie. The Hudson resident says he normally makes an effort to shred all his personal documents in order to guard against identity theft. So he was particularly disappointed to learn Tuesday that some of his confidential personal and financial information was found scattered across Amherst…
National Patient ID Would Violate Patient Privacy Rights
Responding to a major study released yesterday by the Rand Corporation, Citizens’ Council on Health Care says Congress should maintain its long-standing prohibition on development of a national patient identification number, otherwise known as the Unique Patient Identifier (UPI). “Congress must dismiss the data industry’s apparent call to centralize, nationalize and socialize private medical information….
UK: Patients 'at risk as after medical records lost'
Rob Pattinson reports: PRIVATE medical records blunders has seen patients put at potential risk, a probe reveals today. Cases of mislaid doctors’ notes, lost patient files, and child protection reports going missing have been recorded over the last three years. Now data bosses have warned the failure to keep information safe could lead to records…