Patient privacy news and information

The Boston Public Health Commission has backed off its request for bombing victims' medical records, after three Boston police, fire and EMS unions accused the agency of trying to breach doctor-patient confidentiality.
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A showdown is shaping up between federal healthcare privacy regulators and the nation's largest pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers over a healthcare privacy rule affecting upwards of 100 million prescription-refill reminders sent to patients each year.
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In response to your recent article “CVS cancels pharma-funded Rx reminders citing new HIPAA rule,” it is entirely inappropriate to use a person's personal healthcare information without specific consent to do...
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An orthopedic clinic in Raleigh, N.C., was apparently the latest victim of a scam in which patient X-ray films are destroyed by scammers to harvest the silver they contain, according to a privacy-breach notification involving 17,300 patients.
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Patient Privacy Rights in Austin, Texas, added Dr. Adrian Gropper last month as its chief technology officer. On April 1, Gropper, whose age was not immediately available, joined the bipartisan, not-for-profit organization that advocates for patient control of the collection, use and disclosure of...
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Some patients in Seattle are talking about their ailments in group doctor visits, giving members a chance to bring up questions and concerns while allowing providers to expand medical services without increasing patient cost.
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Cost of amputating a leg? At least $20,000. Cost of an artificial leg? More than $50,000 for the most high-tech models. Cost of an amputee's rehab? Often tens of thousands of dollars more. These are just a fraction of the medical expenses victims of the Boston Marathon bombing will face.
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Six Republican senators have produced a 28-page white paper that is sharply critical of the Obama administration's handling of the federal health information technology programs under the 2009 stimulus law, saying they need to be “recalibrated to be effective.”
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Here's a thought. When it comes to privacy and security, all patient information is equal. This isn't a new idea, of course.
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Revenue-cycle management companies face new headaches as they assume more responsibility for the privacy and data security of the protected health information they handle.
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