James Randerson writes in the Guardian: Scientists have developed a mind-reading technique that allows them to accurately predict images being viewed by people, by using scanners to study brain activity. The breakthrough by American scientists took MRI scanning equipment normally used in surgical procedures to observe patterns of brain activity when a subject examined a…
Wisconsin Senate passes bill to accommodate patient data exchange; passage expected in Assembly
From WTN News: On a voice vote, the State Senate has passed a bill that would pave the way for the electronic exchange of patient data between different health systems and facilities. The measure, Senate Bill 487, was immediately sent to the State Assembly, where its companion bill, AB 793, is expected to pass today…
Will privacy keep Health 2.0 from the starting gate?
Business journalist Dana Blankenhorn writes on ZDNet: […] Just two weeks ago the World Privacy Forum, ironically also based in San Diego, came out with two warnings about Personal Health Records (PHRs) which made them appear to be a tragedy waiting to happen. PHRs, once placed online, are not covered by HIPAA, the forum said,…
In the UK, two more stolen hospital laptops cause worry
Although I do not include them in the chronologies of medical privacy breaches available on this site, I do note medical privacy breaches in other countries. Two more reports out of the U.K. this morning are noteworthy. The first involves the Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust: A laptop with confidential information about more than…
Virginia: Mental health bills head to Kaine
Mason Adams and Michael Sluss write in The Roanoke Times: The General Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a package of bills intended to reform Virginia’s mental health system and fill long-neglected gaps exposed by April’s shootings at Virginia Tech. […] The legislation would ease Virginia’s standard for involuntary commitment and improve monitoring of people…
Illinois: Repeal of act requiring students to report their HIV status defeated
Meagan Sexton writes: The Illinois House on Tuesday rejected legislation that would repeal the state’s Communicable Disease Prevention Act, which requires students to report their HIV status to principals. The legislation attracted 43 “yes†votes and 62 “no†votes. House Bill 4314 was an attempt to repeal the existing law that permits a school principal…