Category: Security
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Washington DSHS Reports Data Breach Affecting 652 Patients
The Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has reported that it suffered a 652-patient data breach on Feb. 4 when private psychologist contractor’s laptop was stolen in Gig Harbor, Wash. The Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has reported that it suffered a 652- patient data breach on Feb. 4 when private psychologist…
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4 ways health IT can build trust
Medicine is a two-way street; it works best when the patient and the provider trust each other, and can work together for the best outcome. While technology can enable those outcomes, when improperly used — consider the epidemic of patient data breaches — it can also raise some eyebrows and scare some people away from…
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Groups develop privacy framework for health IT
A consortium of privacy supporting organizations and individuals, the Texas-based Patient Privacy Rights Foundation, Microsoft Corp. and consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers have developed what they’re calling a “trust framework” for health…
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Hospital IT director: Focus on securing patient data, not devices
The key to health information security is in data security, and not necessarily the devices in which data is stored, according to Barbara Bartley, executive director of IT operations and information security officer at Montgomery, Ala.-based Baptist Health. read more
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Security concerns hindering polio immunizations in Pakistan, WHO official says
“Some 240,000 children have missed U.N.-backed vaccinations against polio because of security concerns in Pakistan’s tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, a top official with the World Health Organization said Friday,” the Associated Press/Huffington Post reports.
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Bring-your-own-device practices by healthcare workers fraught with security risks
Nearly 89 percent of U.S. healthcare workers use their personal smartphones for work purposes, finds a Cisco partner network study . However, when it comes to security, the study found that 41 percent… read more
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Securing health data from hackers requires a holistic approach
Though less common than breaches from lost laptops or other devices, hacking is on the rise in healthcare, experts say. Fending off cybercriminals, however, should go beyond treating security as a routine matter of protecting patient privacy. read more
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UC Irvine to settle federal fraud claims for $1.2M
The University of California, Irvine agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle fraud allegations that it allowed residents at its medical center to give patients anesthesia without supervision, then billed Medicare as if doctors were present.
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Sequestration could delay ONC security, privacy projects
Sequester cuts, starting Monday, will take a $3 million bite from the $60 million annual budget of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. While the Office for Civil Rights, the unit within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services responsible for HIPAA enforcement, has yet to determine the impact on its budget,…
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Fighting Return Fraud
It's after Christmas and consumers are lined up at stores to return merchandise- the scratchy sweater from Aunt Helen, the toaster oven that doesn't fit on the counter. But not all returns are legitimate and return fraud costs Retailers billions of dollars every year- $8.9 billion dollars according to the 2012 Return Fraud survey conducted…