05/18/2012
A report from the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center finds that the health care industry's adoption of mobile technology poses certain security risks to patient data. The report offers recommendations to bolster organizations' data security, such as operating well-maintained firewalls. Government Computer News et al.
05/09/2012
A new guide from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Office of the Chief Privacy Officer aims to help health care providers protect the privacy and security of patient data. The guide includes a 10-step plan on how health care providers can bolster their data privacy and security before attesting to meaningful use. Health Data Management, Healthcare IT News.
05/08/2012
New guidelines from the Federation of State Medical Boards' House of Delegates recommend that health care providers always maintain their professionalism and strive to protect patient confidentiality when using social networking websites. CMIO, Modern Physician.
05/07/2012
Last week, a Missouri state senator led an eight-hour filibuster to block the passage of a bill that would have authorized the state to create a prescription drug monitoring database. The senator said the bill would have infringed on patients' privacy rights. AP/Kansas City Star.
04/30/2012
After a large-scale data breach last month, the Utah Health Policy Project is teaming up with other groups to offer recommendations on how the state can restore public trust in the security of personal health information kept by state health programs. Salt Lake City Deseret News.
04/26/2012
An official from the Government Accountability Office recently outlined security weaknesses in federal agencies' information systems. The official also discussed cybersecurity attacks that have targeted personal health data. Modern Healthcare, The Hill's "Hillicon Valley."
04/24/2012
Yesterday, the Health Information Trust Alliance announced the creation of a new center to help health care organizations manage cybersecurity threats. The center will work with 14 health care organizations and HHS to share data about cybersecurity incidents. Healthcare IT News.
04/20/2012
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced that a data breach might have exposed the personal information of more than 228,000 Medicaid beneficiaries. According to the agency, the compromised data do not include medical information. CMIO et al.
04/19/2012
Yesterday, Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare announced that it cannot locate 10 computer discs containing health and personal data on 315,000 surgery patients. About 228,000 of the missing records included Social Security numbers. Atlanta Journal-Constitution et al.
04/18/2012
Phoenix Cardiac Surgery has agreed to pay $100,000 and implement a corrective action plan to settle charges that it violated HIPAA privacy and security rules by posting appointments to a publicly accessible online calendar. Health Data Management, Modern Physician.
04/16/2012
Florida's Memorial Healthcare System is notifying nearly 9,500 patients that two former MHS employees might have improperly accessed their personal data to file false tax returns. MHS has fired the two employees and is offering no-cost credit-monitoring services. CMIO et al.
04/12/2012
In the wake of a health data breach that could affect nearly 800,000 Utah residents, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has called for an audit of all state data systems that store personal information. The auditors also will assist with the investigation of the recent data breach. Salt Lake Tribune et al.
04/11/2012
A new report by HIMSS Analytics and Kroll Advisory Solutions finds that health care providers have experienced a rise in health data breaches over the past few years. However, the report also finds that this year's survey respondents expressed greater confidence than previous years' respondents in their readiness to handle such breaches. Healthcare IT News, Kroll Advisory Solutions release.
04/10/2012
The Colorado Board of Pharmacy has denied Medicaid officials and a private health insurer access to the state's prescription drug registry. The pharmacy board said current state law allows only those providing direct care or direct prescriptions to access the information. Denver Post.
04/10/2012
Utah Department of Health officials have updated their estimate for the number of residents who could be affected by a recent health data breach. UDOH now says the breach could have exposed personal and health data on nearly 800,000 residents. Salt Lake Tribune.