Dr. Zachary Peterson, a Senior Security Analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, writes: With the introduction of computers to the health care system, paper medical records have given way to their electronic counterparts, allowing information to be easily accessed, shared and modified. Systems for managing electronic records are now commonplace in all major and health care…
Doctor Blogs Raise Concerns About Patient Privacy
Deirdre Kennedy writes on NPR: Medical blogs have drawn back the curtain on the inner workings of the health care profession. Online readers can learn about the latest medical gadgets, read physicians’ views on health care issues, even get a peek at the inner thoughts of surgeons. But despite their attraction, these blogs have raised…
UK: "No one to blame" for patient info leak
Tomasz Johnson reports in the Hendon Times: Investigations into how confidential patient records were found in a Potters Bar road have failed to attribute blame for the security breach. Details of serious illnesses and outpatient forms belonging to patients at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Whipps Cross University Hospital and London Ambulance Service ended up strewn across…
UK: Counselling Service admits breach of trust after releasing over 300 emails
Raf Sanchez reports in Nouse: The University Counselling Service [at York University] has admitted a “serious breach of trust†after releasing the email addresses of over three hundred students and staff taking counselling. The addresses were accidentally put in the cc field of an email sent out on February 22 to 344 people on the…
HEALTH 2.0: Getting the PHR privacy and Deborah Peel issue off my chest
Seen at The Health Care Blog: I’m a card carrying member of the ACLU. I oppose the Patriot Act. And I absolutely oppose the current Administration’s decision to ignore the FISA law that already bends over backwards to help the government spy on Americans whom it suspects of criminal activity. I’m also appalled when I…
Evans concerned about legislation to regulate data resellers
Florence Olsen writes on FCW: Federal agencies increasingly rely on information from commercial data brokers to detect and investigate fraud, verify people’s identities and determine eligibility for benefits. However, agencies often do not exercise the same privacy precautions with that data as they do with information they collect themselves, and some lawmakers and privacy advocates…