A Long Island nursing assistant has been arrested for allegedly stealing a patient’s credit card. Authorities say 44-year-old Brenda Skidmore, of Ronkonkoma, was caught using the card she stole from John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. More – ABC News
Abortion clinic charged with improper disposal (follow-up)
Gina Damron reports: A 12-count warrant has been issued against a Lathrup Village abortion clinic for improperly disposing of medical records, according to Southfield’s 46th District Court. The case against WomanCare, located on Southfield Road, stems from a March incident in which patient records were discovered in a Dumpster behind the facility, court and police…
UPHS Notifies Public Of Lost Payment Data
Heather J. Chin reports: University of Pennsylvania Health System notified an undisclosed number of patients this week that an encrypted backup tape containing personal and credit information was lost in transit by an outside carrier. Affected persons are those who made payments to UPHS between Feb. 25 and April 25. More – The Bulletin
The Security and Privacy of Healthcare Data
George Hulme writes: Despite the aim of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to bolster the security and privacy of patient information, a majority of health-care providers believe more should — and can — be done. And a newly formed consortium of industry leaders plans to do something about it. A group of nine…
Ex-guard pleads guilty to ID theft (follow-up)
Michael P. McKinney reports: A former security guard at Rhode Island Hospital has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing patients’ and job applicants’ identity information and using it to open cell phone and charge accounts at RadioShack. […] Prosecutor Adi Goldstein said at the plea hearing the government could show that from April 2006…
Police: Man steals ID to get surgery
Brian Stanley reports: It’s said to know who you really are, you should look into your heart. But police say one man used someone else’s identity while undergoing heart surgery and left a mentally disabled man on the hook for $350,000 in medical costs. Full story – The Herald News