A good journalist is always willing to dig a little dirt to get a good story, but dig through the trash? That is just what one Boston Globe photographer did when he realized that the recycling center where he was dropping off his own trash was filled with confidential medical records earlier this year. Records … [Read more…]
For all the HIPAA precautions a facility takes, there is still the very real danger that they will be done in by one of their own, as a report about the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital demonstrated last week. A federal jury indicted Jasmine Smith, a Hopkins employee, and four other accomplices on charges of fraud … [Read more…]
Numerous reports have surfaced over the last week or so that indicate that all kinds of HIPAA violations and infringements of patient privacy are occurring all over the state. So far we have been told that: The Texas Department of State Health Services itself has sold or simply given away the data relating to over … [Read more…]
As they become more readily available more and more business professionals are discovering how useful an iPad can be and it seems medical professionals are no exceptions. The one thing that may worry patients who see their physicians using the tablet is how secure their information is going to be if stored on such a … [Read more…]
In “another day, another privacy breach” news it was revealed this week that the venerable New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center “inadvertently” posted the personal medical data of thousands of its patients online in July of this year. Information about around 6,800 patients was posted and much of it included names, addresses, clinical … [Read more…]
Two years after he survived a shark attack, Todd Murashige is suing a Honolulu, HI hospital for violating his privacy under the HIPAA act because staff at the hospital photographed his severely bitten leg and posted the images on the Internet without his permission. Todd Murashige was attacked by what was believed to be a … [Read more…]
Motorola have announced that they are launching a new handheld device especially geared towards use by medical professionals – and they promise that it is HIPAA compliant. The MC75A0-HC Rugged Healthcare Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA) is designed to stand up to the rigors of even the busiest day. It can survive exposure to disinfectant, dust, … [Read more…]
According to a new survey preventing patient data security breaches is the number one priority for the majority of healthcare IT decision makers but it also shows that some are still struggling to comply with all security regulations. The 2010 Healthcare IT Survey is a study carried out by Zoomerang, an online services provider on … [Read more…]
If a patient were to ask you not to reveal their private information to anyone at all do they have that right under the HIPAA laws? HIPAA privacy regulations have always given individuals the right to request restrictions on how health care providers use or disclose their information, but until recently, health care providers have … [Read more…]
Cheryl James, a nurse in Michigan was fired for violating HIPAA regulations last week –because of remarks she posted on her Facebook page. Like many Michigan residents she was upset when a local policeman was shot to death pursuing a suspect. She actually treated the killer as a part of her duties as a nurse … [Read more…]