Are uneducated users the new threat to health data security?
For all the talk of new and emerging technological approaches to safeguarding health data, end-users could very well pose the greatest threat to sensitive health information moving forward. “The reason...
View ArticlePPN offers 6 tips to overcome PHI security obstacles
In advance of next month’s PHI Protection Forum, the PHI Protection Network has made available six tips to overcome security obstacles related to protected health information (PHI) from as many...
View ArticleBig data implications for health data security, privacy
The healthcare industry is showing a growing interest in the potential of big data and healthcare analytics to improve patient outcomes and the business of providing high-quality at a manageable price....
View ArticleAre questions about health data ownership missing the point?
“Who owns patient health information?” is a question increasingly asked of healthcare organizations and providers as well as health IT professionals as providers increasingly adopt EHR systems and...
View ArticleMedical records used in identify theft, tax fraud in Georgia
A federal grand jury in Savannah, Ga., has handed down six indictments April 2 to 12 defendants charged with filing fraudulent tax returns based on protected health information (PHI) from stolen...
View ArticleFla. lawsuit alleges large-scale health data breach
Richard Faircloth has brought a class action lawsuit against Adventist Health System/Sunbelt, Inc. for violating the privacy rights of other patients at the Florida hospital, according to court...
View ArticleHow PHRs are streamlining secure exchange better than HIEs
The process of sharing protected health information (PHI) is wrought with many challenges. Entities covered under HIPAA and its recent update in the omnibus rule have the legal responsibility to...
View ArticleDesktop virtualization to safeguard endpoint devices, PHI
The move away from stationary toward ubiquitous computing (i.e., desktop to mobile) is leading many healthcare organizations to adopt a new approach to safeguarding the protected health information...
View ArticlePatient privacy, consent crucial to HIE governance framework
After months of working with stakeholders to develop conditions for trust exchange, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has finally released its framework for...
View ArticleTheft at DFSS in Chicago could lead to health data breach
A theft of tens of thousands of dollars in the form computer equipment from a city office in Chicago may have exposed personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) to...
View ArticleMemphis Regional Medical Center reports health data breach
The sending of three emails including personally identifiable information of patients between October 2012 and February 2013 has led the Regional Medical Center in Memphis (the MED) to report a health...
View ArticleStolen laptop from closed practice cited in NY data breach
A laptop containing the protected health information (PHI) from a now closed private practice has led an oral surgeon to report a health data breach to the State of New York, according to documents...
View ArticlePHI for nearly 4,500 patients found during Calif. drug bust
A drug bust in Oakland, Calif., has revealed more than pound of methamphetamine and incidentally a cache of stolen protected health information for thousands of patients receiving care through Sutter...
View ArticleOIG: Medicare system lacking USB security controls
Considering the amount of unencrypted USB drives that have been part of healthcare data breaches, Assistant Inspector General Kay Daly asserting that there needs to be better controls over these...
View ArticleACHC meets full HIPAA, HITECH compliance
In an effort to provide the highest possible security for protected health information, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), a not-for-profit accreditation organization, has updated its...
View ArticleOIG 2014 Work Plan includes PHI, medical device security
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its 2014 Fiscal Year Work Plan and one of its concentrations this year will be information technology...
View ArticleViewing cross-industry data breaches with a healthcare lens
Some data breaches garner more attention than others. The recent Target data breach, for instance, was in national news for weeks because it affected so many consumers and information regarding the...
View ArticleResponding to a PHI breach with new technology, priorities
James Furstenberg, Ferris State University IT Security Director, said he’s always wanted to be the person in charge of security at an organization after it had experienced a breach because the...
View ArticleHIPAA Privacy Rule: Permitted PHI uses and disclosures
Though sometimes the goals of the HIPAA Privacy Rule can get lost in data breach and monetary penalty news, ensuring that patient data is both properly protected and accessible should be a consistent...
View ArticleNYeC receives accreditation from DirectTrust.org, EHNAC
The New York e-Health Collaborative (NYeC) attained full accreditation with the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) from DirectTrust.org and the Electronic Healthcare Network...
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