Topic

Data Security


Study: 96% of data breaches avoidable

Industry News | Monday, August 23 2010
A full 96 percent of data breaches are avoidable through simple or intermediate controls, according to “2010 Data Breach Investigations Report,” research conducted by Verizon’s Business Risk team in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service.
 

Redspin extends HIPAA security assessment to healthcare industry

New Products | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Security technology company Redspin is now offering an additional HIPAA security assessment service for the healthcare industry segment, addressing requirements of the HIPAA security rule and the HITECH Act through a risk-based approach.
 

Report: Privacy insecurities plague electronic healthcare

Industry News | Monday, July 19 2010
The adoption of digital patient records, increased regulation, provider consolidation and the increasing need for information exchange between patients, providers and payors all point towards the need for better information security, according to an article published in this month's International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management.
 

UMaine breach exposes 4,585 students' clinical data

Industry News | Thursday, July 08 2010
The University of Maine police department is leading the investigation into the breach of two UMaine computer servers this spring. Sensitive data related to approximately 4,585 students were exposed as a result of attacks by hackers, according to a statement by the University.
 

McMillan named HIMSS privacy and security chair

Executive Announcements | Tuesday, July 06 2010
Mac McMillan has been selected as chair of the Health Information Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) Privacy and Security Steering Committee.
 

CynergisTek unveils IT security for smaller health orgs

New Products | Thursday, July 01 2010
Security IT company CynergisTek has released three new offerings designed for healthcare organizations with fewer than 100 beds to provide small healthcare organizations with IT and security services, which include IT support services, email technology and a HIPAA/HITECH security compliance review.
 

Anthem Blue Cross notifies 470,000 patients of breach

Top Stories | Friday, June 25 2010
Approximately 470,000 insurance applicants are being notified in multiple states by Anthem Blue Cross after recently learning that persons of interest manipulated the payor’s Individual Application Tracker web portal, which allows people applying for insurance to track the status of their insurance applications.
 

About 450K patients affected by security breaches in 2010

Industry News | Tuesday, June 15 2010

Since February, 24 security breaches affecting 500 or more individuals have been reported to the Office for Civil Rights. For the year, a total of 54 breaches have been reported, affecting about 449,008 individuals.

 

Five Calif. hospitals accrue fines totaling $675K

Industry News | Friday, June 11 2010
Five California hospitals have racked up a total of $675,000 in administrative penalties and fines after the California Department of Public Health determined that the facilities failed to prevent unauthorized access to confidential patient medical information.
 

Advocacy groups urge expansion of privacy bill draft

Industry News | Tuesday, June 08 2010
In response to a discussion draft of a new privacy bill currently under consideration by the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, 10 privacy and consumer organizations this week called for much stronger provisions to protect consumer privacy, including personal health information, both online and off.
 

U of Louisville exposes patient data on website

Industry News | Monday, June 07 2010
The University of Louisville in Kentucky has notified the public that a database containing personal health information was available online from October 2008 until last month.
 

GAO: VA deficient in security controls, information at risk

Industry News | Tuesday, May 25 2010
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs to resolve long-standing deficiencies in securing its information and systems, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
 

OIG: Fraud risks need to be re-examined in face of reform

Industry News | Monday, May 03 2010
New payment and healthcare delivery models require a fresh examination of fraud and abuse risk, according to Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), during his keynote address at the Healthcare Compliance Association's Annual Compliance Institute last month.
 

HIMSS: More hospital security breaches in 2010, but greater awareness

Industry News | Wednesday, April 07 2010
The number of healthcare facilities that reported a breach in security that requires notification increased 6 percent from 13 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2010, according to the 2010 HIMSS Analytics report on the security of patient data, commissioned by Kroll Fraud Solutions.
 

Colorado patients mailed protected health data; investigation under way

Industry News | Tuesday, April 06 2010
Boulder Community Hospital (BCH) in Colorado has been contacted by patients of Lafayette, Colo.-based Family Medical Associates, who were mailed copies of their own protected health information by an anonymous source. An accompanying letter claims that the information was stolen from Community Medical Center’s recycling bins, according to BCH.
 

JAMIA: Blanket protection policies could leave providers vulnerable

Industry News | Monday, March 22 2010
Blanket patient identification protection policies, such as Safe Harbor, leave different organizations vulnerable to re-identification at different rates and provide justification for locally performed re-identification risk estimates prior to sharing data, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Informatics Association.
 

HIMSS: EMC showcases RSA Adaptive Authentication, Aspirus installations

Conference News | Tuesday, March 16 2010

EMC and its security division, RSA, made several announcements during the recent HIMSS conference in Atlanta.

 

HHS: States have to adopt adverse licensure action reporting system

Industry News | Monday, February 01 2010
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has posted a notice of final rule in the Jan. 28 Federal Register requiring each state to adopt a system to report certain adverse licensure actions taken against licensed healthcare practitioners to the Secretary of HHS, effective March 1.
 

Kaiser's stolen device contains data on 15,500 California patients

Top Stories | Thursday, January 14 2010
Last month an external electronic data storage device containing patient health information for approximately 15,500 Northern California members of health insurance company Kaiser Permanente was stolen from an employee’s car at the employee’s home in Sacramento, Calif.
 

Connecticut AG uses HITECH to sue over patient data breach

Top Stories | Thursday, January 14 2010
Connecticut Attorney General (AG) Richard Blumenthal announced Wednesday that he is suing Health Net of Connecticut for failing to secure private patient medical records and financial information involving 446,000 Connecticut enrollees and promptly notify consumers exposed by the security breach.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

PORTALS

Advanced Visualization

Molecular Imaging

Integration Tools & Interoperability

More Portal Topics