John Bermingham of Canwest News Service reports: Health Minister George Abbott says the health information of B.C. residents is safe, after his ministry was criticized for losing data on 124 patients. Information and Privacy Commissioner David Louki-delis censured the Health Ministry yesterday for sending unprotected computer tapes by courier to New Brunswick last October, containing…
Babies From Abortions, Records Found in Second Michigan Center Dumpster
Steven Ertelt writes: Local pro-life advocates in the Detroit area have found the bodies of babies killed in abortions and patient medical records in another Michigan abortion center’s dumpster. The finding comes on the hells (sic) of one abortion facility that ran afoul of illegal dumping laws and was investigated by the state. This time,…
Macau: Patient health details stolen
Details of some 200 patients’ health reports were yesterday stolen from the Centro Hospitalar Conde de São Januário (CHCSJ). According to information released by the Health Bureau, two sets of computers were stolen from the office yesterday which contained the data. […] After checking its records, the hospital said the two stolen computers contained the…
Benefits of electronic health records will soon kill privacy
Jay Cline writes: In five years, the privacy debate over personal health records will be over, and you and I will be storing our medical records at a central location. Why? Because the benefits of better care and less paperwork will outweigh our current fears about data breaches and inappropriate data sharing. […] So, what…
Ca: B.C., N.B. failed to protect personal health information: reports
Separate reports issued at the same time Wednesday by New Brunswick’s ombudsman and British Columbia’s information and privacy commissioner have found that their governments failed to protect the personal health information of B.C. and New Brunswick residents when a courier lost tapes containing health information. According to the news release, a courier package of computer…
Identity thieves prey on patients' medical records
Julie Appleby reports in USA TODAY: Doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals are a fruitful hunting ground for identity thieves, who are using increasingly sophisticated methods to steal patient information, lawyers and privacy experts say. Recent disclosures that hospital workers snooped into the medical files of Maria Shriver, Britney Spears and George Clooney highlight the vulnerability…