A doctor in Charlotte, North Carolina, has begun the process of notifying over 900 patients that their personal information may have been put at risk. Dr. Ervin Batchelor of Charlotte asked his two adult sons to dispose of medical records belonging to his office. His sons promptly took them to a local recycling center without […]
Read MoreLocal doctor David Brown improperly discarded patient records into a dumpster outside of his officer, leaving the records containing sensitive data in plain sight. When contacted by KMOV, Dr. Brown’s Attorney indicated that Brown knew he had a mistake, and was aware of the potential consequences. In a statement Dr. Brown pledged to adhere to […]
Read MoreIndianans gained some protection from identity thieves when the Indiana Attorney General’s office received the authority to store abandoned medical records. “We noticed that when doctors offices and clinics closed there were still these huge resources, banker boxes and file cabinets full of medical records with very sensitive information and before there was no statute […]
Read MoreA recent article on the Modern Medicine website by David Goldberg, M.D., J.D. a doctor, researcher and lawyer, reminds doctors that they are a liable for HIPAA violations. The article describes the genesis of the responsibility to protect the Protected Health Information, doctors’ ultimate responsibility, how employees can compromise PHI when untrained and the penalties. […]
Read MoreLast fall NAID covered a story on Prompt Med, a Greensboro, North Carolina urgent care center guilty of improperly disposing of hundreds of patient files. The files, found in a dumpster, held the data of 757 patients and contained social security numbers, insurance account numbers, and personal health information. In the latest development the North […]
Read MoreThe “Security Rule” of HIPAA, one of 5 HIPAA “Rules,” specifically covers the security of electronically recorded information. Recently, HHS has issue guidance on complying with the requirement to perform and annually evaluate “risk assessments.” Such risk assessments are a requirement under HIPAA. One of the areas identified as an area to be assessed is […]
Read MoreAt the Safeguarding Health Information conference in Washington, D.C. last month, Susan McAndrew, deputy director for privacy at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, said that the healthcare industry can soon expect a greater emphasis on enforcing the HIPAA security rule than in years past. To reinforce her point, she […]
Read MoreABC Action News, in an ongoing investigative series, discovered hundreds of private patient records in dumpsters outside of medical offices. The report notes that while identity theft is a primary risk of careless disposal, there can be other consequences. Several of the documents contained information related to diagnoses and prescribed treatments—material that could adversely impact […]
Read MoreThe South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control issued a warning that as many as 1,800 residents may have had their personal information compromised by the Department’s failure to properly dispose of documents. The agency stated that it is making every attempt to notify affected individuals. Department policy is to shred the documents, and […]
Read MoreThousands of medical records were stolen from the Baylor Health Care System and found in a dumpster and garage of a nearby apartment complex, and Dallas police are investigating the incident with the intent of filing felony identify theft charges. In response to the incident a Baylor Health Care System spokespersons stated, “Baylor Health Care […]
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