Maureen McKinney reports: Exeter (N.H.) Hospital is pushing back against New Hampshire investigators, arguing that the state’s request for access to hospital medical records in connection with a criminal investigation is a violation of patient privacy laws. The hospital received wide attention in July when David Kwiatkowski, a lab technician formerly employed at the hospital,…
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Second class action lawsuit against Western Health Authority filed
Gary Kean reports that a second class action lawsuit, representing about 200 patients who received breach notifications from Western Health, has been filed. Unlike the other lawsuit, however, this one names the employee as a co-defendant. Over 1,000 patients received notification letters concerning an employee’s inappropriate access to their files. For at least some patients,…
AZ: Woman admits identity theft at Oro Valley medical office
Kim Smith reports: A local woman admitted Monday that she stole the identities of 15 patients while working at an Oro Valley oncology office. Veronica Astorga Carmona could receive probation when sentenced next month or between two and 8.75 years in prison. On June 25, a cancer patient gave his Visa credit card to Carmona…
Doc reported after breast surgery vids hit YouTube
It seems it’s not just U.S. cosmetic surgeons getting into trouble over before/after images uploaded to the Internet that do not adequately protect patient privacy. Here’s a news story by Clara Guibourg in The Local in Sweden: A Stockholm-based plastic surgeon has been reported for uploading videos to YouTube, showing before, during and after footage of…
Drug-Addicted Former Doctor Pleads Guilty To Illegally Acquiring Painkillers (updated)
Here’s the latest on a case I’ve been following since it was first disclosed in February 2009. The Lake Elsinore – Wildomar Patch reports: A former doctor with a felony record for multiple acts of identity theft and forgery stemming from an addiction to painkillers was sentenced today to five years behind bars for violating…
Court Dismisses Minnesota AG's HIPAA Enforcement Action Against Business Associate Following Settlement
Rachel Grunberger and Dena Feldman write: Earlier this month, the federal district court in Minnesota dismissed a lawsuit brought earlier this year by the Minnesota Attorney General (AG) against Accretive Health, Inc., a business associate of hospitals, after the parties reached a settlement. In the lawsuit, which we previously discussed here, the Minnesota AG alleged that the company…