Patient privacy news and information

Marylanders who signed up for coverage through the state's new health insurance exchange did so under the condition that their information could be shared with law enforcement. That condition has sparked debate about privacy concerns.
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A former employee of North Country Hospital, Newport, Vt., says he was given a laptop to fix that contained sensitive patient information. He says he tried to do the right thing and alert hospital officials when a laptop ended up in his possession with more than 3,000 patient documents on it, but...
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The Veterans Affairs Department led the nation in digitizing medical records, giving employees access to health and financial records with a few keystrokes. An analysis of reports filed with the VA's Risk Management and Incident Response Resolution Team found a pattern of illegal snooping through...
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AUSTIN, Texas—The Texas Health Services Authority and the Health Information Trust Alliance are partnering to develop and implement a program that will improve the security of health information for Texas residents. The two organizations will run the Texas Covered Entity Privacy and...
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Some healthcare CIOs hope to create a platform for dialogue and to create consensus around two sensitive privacy issues—patient record identification and consent management.
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An unencrypted laptop containing the medical and personal data of more than 3,500 University of California at San Francisco Medical Center patients was stolen from an employee's car in September.
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An unsecure email sent by a CaroMont Health employee has resulted in a possible security breach involving more than 1,300 patients' personal health records. The email in question contained protected health information, including names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, medical record...
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The Pennsylvania Medical Society is threatening to pull its support for a proposed statewide prescription drug monitoring effort over an amendment that would automatically alert police every time a patient is ordered to take certain drugs. The bill could violate federal patient privacy laws, said...
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A Janesville, Wis., hospital is warning patients after one of its laptops was stolen from an employee's car over the summer. St. Mary's Janesville Hospital thinks 629 patients may have been affected, meaning some protected health information relating to medical visits may have been compromised.
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A New Mexico legislative subcommittee wants the attorney general to investigate whether the state improperly released the names of 2,000 to 3,000 patients being treated for drug or alcohol abuse.
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