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Health Privacy

Date	Article Title	Publication	Author	Synopsis
6/23/2009	Prescription drug fight goes before appeals court	Washington Post	Larry Neumeister	A lawyer for three data mining companies this week asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block implementation of Vermont's Prescription Confidentiality Law.
6/18/2009	Five Steps to HITECH Preparedness	CSO Magazine	Rick Kam	The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) compliance deadline is September 18, 2009.
6/10/2009	Medical privacy violator gets 1 year	Honolulu Advertiser	Jim Dooley	A 22-year-old former hospital employee has been sentenced to a year in prison for her role in the release of a patient's sensitive medical records.
6/9/2009	Electronic Health Records and Privacy Law	Law.com	Eric A. Klein and Christine C. Cohn	Two attorneys lay out the complexities associated with rolling out electronic health records (EHRs) in today's regulatory environment.
6/8/2009	Pharmacy pays fine for jeopardizing patient information	WTHR News	Bob Segall	An Indianapolis drug store chain has reached a settlement with state authorities on charges it failed to protect customers' privacy when discarding prescription records in a dumpster.
6/3/2009	How Safe Are Your Medical Records?	Forbes	Rebecca Ruiz	Twelve percent of all data loss incidents involve medical information.
5/29/2009	Push for Electronic Medical Recors Must Slow Down, For Security's Sake	PC World	Robert Vamosi	Former White House cybersecurity official Howard Schmidt is concerned that the push for rapid adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) might leave security in its wake.
5/15/2009	Kaiser hospital fined $250,000 for privacy breach in octuplet case	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	California regulators imposed the first monetary sanction since a new law to help protect patient privacy went into effect on January 1.
5/11/2009	Walgreens seeks to settle case over dumped documents	WTHR News	Bob Segall	Walgreens wants to settle a case involving patient privacy violations, but the Indiana Attorney General wants to wait until the Federal Trade Commission and Office of Civil Rights have reached an agreement with the company
5/11/2009	Electronic medical records come with challenges, researchers find	Boston Globe	Carolyn Johnson	A report on challenges so far in the push towards implementing electronic health records (EHRs).
5/4/2009	Hackers break into Virginia Health Professionals Database, Demand Ransom	Washington Post	Brian Krebs	Hackers are holding for ransom the prescription drug records of eight million Virginia residents.
4/30/2009	U.S. health data czar sees role for government hand	Reuters	Susan Heavey	The nation's new health information technology (HIT) boss will soon make decisions on how to use some of the funds dedicated to HIT in the recently passed stimulus package.
4/28/2009	House speaker breaks tie on medical privacy bill	AP via WZTV		House Speaker Kent Williams has stepped in to break a tie on a proposal to give parents full access to their children's medical procedures and tests.
4/27/2009	Electronic medical records have people abuzz. What's the reality?	Los Angeles Times	Tammy Worth	Primary care physician Matt Handley believes that information technology enables him to provide better patient care.
4/23/2009	The Mad Dash to Digitize Medical Records	Business Week	Chad Terhune, Keith Epstein and Catherine Arnst	GE, Google, and others, in a stimulus-fueled frenzy, are piling into the business. But electronic health records have a dubious history.
4/22/2009	Kaiser testing tech to enhance medical treatment, privacy	ZDNet Blogs	Sam Diaz	Cisco Systems, as part of the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, bussed a group of folks across the San Francisco Bay this week to tour Kaiser's Sidney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center - a former check processing warehouse in an industrial area near the Oakland Airport.
4/22/2009	Frightening Privacy Concerns for New Healthcare Technology	Opposing Views	Greg Scandlen	The ACLU put out a video illustrating what could happen when privacy is violated.
4/22/2009	The Devil Inside Digitizing Medical Data	Forbes	Robert Langreth	Pittsburgh's experience is a cautionary tale about the hidden complexities--and life-or-death consequences--of rolling out complex software programs in fast-paced hospital environments.
4/21/2009	Are Electronic Health Records Worth the Risks?	Wall Street Journal	Sarah Rubenstein	EHR proponents are warning about patient privacy and other challenges inherent in the move towards health IT.
4/21/2009	Shedding Privacy to Share Health Information Online	findingDulcinea	Lindsey Chapman	In an era of strict medical privacy, some people are sharing their health issues and even procedures online to help others.
4/21/2009	Microsoft and Mayo Clinic Unveil Free Site for Storing Medical Records	Fast Company	Cliff Kuang	The Mayo Clinic and Microsoft unveiled a free Web site aimed at solving the thorny problem of keeping up all your medical records.
4/21/2009	Florida database to track prescription drugs moves closer to reality	tampabay.com	Breanne Gilpatrick	An effort to curb prescription drug abuse and stop South Florida's growing pain-clinic industry is headed to the House and Senate floors, after the proposal cleared a key House committee Monday.
4/20/2009	FTC's hard-line enforcement may shock industry	ModernHealthcare,com	Joseph Conn	The government took another step last week toward closing a legal loophole in federal privacy and security rules for emerging Health 2.0 information technology applications by issuing proposed rules aimed at covering an estimated 900 companies and organizations offering personal health records and electronic systems connected to them.
4/20/2009	HHS offers health IT privacy guidelines	Government Health IT	Brian Robinson	The Health and Human Services Department has begun overhauling the privacy and security rules that govern personal health information, which is considered vital to attempts by Congress and the Obama administration to broaden the adoption of electronic health records.
4/20/2009	Proposed breach notification rule would affect more health vendors	nextgov	Bob Brewin	Rules proposed by the Federal Trade Commission on April 16 on disclosure of breaches of personal health information would greatly expand the number of companies that would be subject to notifying individuals if their personal health data was exposed because records were lost or stolen, or because a hacker broke into a computer health network.
4/19/2009	Americans' medical files go digital, by way of Asia	Los Angeles Times	Paul Watson	Low-paid transcriptionists in the Philippines, India and elsewhere are helping to keep the huge U.S. healthcare bureaucracy running.
4/18/2009	Some Caveats About Keeping Your Own Electronic Health Records	New York Times	WALECIA KONRAD	The Obama administration's plan to spend $19 billion on electronic medical records has generated so much buzz you might think it was the biggest thing in health care since penicillin.
4/17/2009	Bill moving to develop electronic medical records	Fort Mills Times	ANNE SUTTON	A bill that would modernize how Alaska health care providers keep medical records is speeding through the Legislature to capture federal stimulus money.
4/16/2009	FTC Publishes Proposed Breach Notification Rule For Electronic Health Information	Federal Trade Commission		The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would require entities to notify consumers when the security of their electronic health information is breached.
4/14/2009	HHS issues guidance on safeguarding data	ModernHealthcare	Joseph Conn	HHS has issued guidance on protecting personally identifiable healthcare information by encrypting or destroying it so that it is rendered "unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals."
4/14/2009	ARRA Privacy and Security Compliance Should Begin Now	Thompson Publishers	Joan	The journey to compliance with new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security regulations should begin now.
4/14/2009	HIPAA compliance: New regulations change the game	SearchSecurity.com	David Mortman	Changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) were recently enacted under The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) as part of the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, these changes don't go into effect until February of 2010, meaning there's time before companies need to be compliant.
4/14/2009	Privacy rules hamper adoption of electronic medical records, study says	Computerworld	Jaikumar Vijayan	University researchers who looked at the impact of health privacy regulations on the adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) systems.
4/11/2009	Less Than Half of Self-insured Organizations Addressing HIPAA	ADVANCE (King of Prussia, PA)	Robert N. Mitchell	Following far behind insurance companies and health care providers, only about 40 percent of self-insured organizations have started work on HIPAA security at their organizations.
4/6/2009	Deloitte Survey Finds Healthy Consumer Demand for Electronic Health Records, Online Tools and Services	Deloitte.com		A study of 4,000 U.S. adults' attitudes towards health information technology (HIT) has found that many are interested in using HIT, but have concerns about the privacy of their personal medical information.
4/6/2009	Putting Patient Privacy in Peril?	Business Week	Rachel King	Rachael King explores the topic of patient privacy as medical records become digitized.
4/2/2009	Patients' files poised at trash bin	The Boston Globe	Kay Lazar	A Lynn, Mass. storage facility is death row for hundreds of orphaned medical records.
3/30/2009	Industry Insiders Discuss HIT and HIPAA Issues	DotMed News	Astrid Fiano	As part of a series of articles on health IT (HIT) issues, DOTmed News spoke to industry experts Kirk J. Nahra and Lise Rauzi about the Obama administration's HIT focus and its potential impact on patient privacy.
3/30/2009	15 workers fired for accessing octuplet mom's file	Mercury News	Raquel Maria Dillon	Fifteen employees at Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower facility have been fired for accessing the medical records of a well-known patient.
3/30/2009	High court asked to review N.H. prescription privacy policy	The Associated Press		Two companies are challenging New Hampshire's prescription confidentiality law.
3/18/2009	Health care experts warn of challenges for IT adoption	Cnet News	Stephanie Condon	Experts discussing the nationwide implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) at an American Enterprise Institute forum on Wednesday agreed that the move to EMRs has great potential, but will be very challenging to bring forward.
3/14/2009	Drug database raises privacy concerns	Pekin Daily Times	Sharon Woods Harris	Despite built-in privacy provisions, a proposed amendment to the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program has raised privacy concerns.
3/10/2009	Wal-Mart Plans to Market System for Digital Health Records	New York Times	Steve Lohr	Wal-Mart's Sam's Club division is teaming up with Dell to create eClinicalWorks, a private company that will offer electronic health records packages to small physicians' practices.
3/6/2009	CVS Caremark accused of violating Florida employees' privacy	Miami Herald	John Dorschner	The group Change to Win has accused CVS Caremark of violating Florida employees' privacy.
3/2/2009	Industry coalition launches health IT security plan	Reuters	Susan Kelly	A coalition of healthcare companies and technology vendors has unveiled a framework for safeguarding the privacy of electronic medical records.
2/27/2009	File-sharing networks used to uncover thousands of medical records	Nextgov	Bob Brewin	Using peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, a Dartmouth College technology professor accessed tens of thousands of electronic medical records on computers that had P2P programs on their hard drives.
2/19/2009	CVS to pay $2.25 million to settle privacy case	Bloomberg		America's largest drugstore chain will pay $2.5 million for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
2/13/2009	Privacy Trumps Profit in $19 Billion Health Stimulus	Bloomberg	Nicole Gaouette	Patient advocates are embracing the privacy protections included in the stimulus bill President Obama will sign into law today.
2/10/2009	Lobbying War Ensues Over Digital Health Data	Washington Post	Ellen Nakashima	Competing visions for how the privacy of medical records should be protected has become the focus of a political battle as Congress figures out how to spend $20 billion in economic stimulus earmarked for the creation of an electronic health records network.
2/5/2009	Google Bats Away Suggestion of Ad Conflict with Google Health	Channel Web	Chad Berndtson	In response to fears and accusations that Google's behavioral advertising platform will operate behind the scenes to target Google Health users with online marketing driven by sensitive healthcare data, Alfred Spector, Google's vice president of research and special initiatives, told a gathering of healthcare executives that Google Health will operate under the Google brand, but on a separate network on which the company's ad platform will not be part.
2/4/2009	Experts urge overhaul of health privacy rules	Reuters	Will Dunham	Citing poor privacy protections but many hindrances to the use of health data in medical research, representatives from the Institute of Medicine are urging Congress to rethink HIPAA and the way personal information is protected and used in the United States.
2/2/2009	Daschle received speaking fees from groups opposing patient privacy	NextGov	Bob Brewin	President Obama's former nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Daschle received speaking fees from two groups opposed to the privacy provisions in the House economic stimulus bill.
2/2/2009	Appeals court rejects disclosure of Medicare data	St. Petersburg Times	Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar	A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court's ruling on the release of patient data.
2/2/2009	Privacy advocates hail stimulus bills	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Patient privacy advocates are lauding the privacy protections included in the House version of the economic stimulus bill, passed last week.
1/27/2009	Groups push for health IT privacy safeguards	ComputerWorld	Grant Gross	Last night the House okayed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus bill that includes $20 billion for health IT.
1/23/2009	Bill would make prescription data private	seattlepi.com	Vanessa Ho	Washington lawmakers have introduced a bill to protect consumers' prescription privacy.
1/19/2009	Economic Stimulus Package Could Impinge on America's Health Privacy, Says Group	Government Technology		President-elect Barack Obama's plans to spend billions on initiatives to digitize Americans' health records by 2014 have some concerned about patient privacy.
1/17/2009	Privacy Issue Complicates Push to Link Medical Data	New York Times	Robert Pear	President-elect Barack Obama has promised to make all medical records electronic by 2014 in order to cut costs and reduce medical errors, among other benefits.
1/15/2009	Privacy groups urge politicians to ensure safeguards for health IT	Nextgov	Andrew Noyes	If funds for spurring electronic medical records become part of the economic stimulus package, privacy and civil liberties groups want to make sure language about security safeguards goes with them.
1/12/2009	Obama: All medical records computerized by 2014	The Industry Standard	Sindya Bhanoo	The call for computerized health records has grown louder in recent months, and now it's coming straight from the top.
1/9/2009	Hospital Addresses Online Privacy Mistake	WPXI News		A West Penn hospital patient was surprised to find she had access to other patients' information on a bill-paying Web site.
1/9/2009	Minnesota offers new controls on newborn blood tests	Star Tribune	staff	The Minnesota Department of Health will propose legislation this year to address privacy concerns associated with its infant blood databank.
12/19/2008	Electronic Records Are Key to Health-Care Reform	Business Week	William A. Yasnoff	President-elect Obama must make electronic medical records a top priority in his economic stimulus plan and the privacy of those records must be first and foremost.
12/15/2008	HHS head calls for voluntary e-health privacy guidelines	nextgov	Bob Brewin	The outgoing Department of Health and Human Services secretary says that the benefits of health IT won't be fully realized until the privacy concerns are addressed.
12/15/2008	Courts in 2 states rule on reach of HIPAA in medical liability cases	amednews.com	Amy Lynn Sorrel	Courts in two states recently interpreted the reach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in court proceedings.
12/7/2008	MySpace gripe about patient sparks federal privacy complaint	ars Technica	Julian Sanchez	A Pennsylvanian OB/GYN could face penalties for an employee's comments about patients on her MySpace profile.
11/20/2008	Hospital fires up to 6 for accessing Pressly's files	Arkansas Democratic Gazette	Jacob Quinn Sanders	More than one employee of Little Rock's St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center has been fired for breaching a patient's medical records.
11/19/2008	GE unveils electronic medical records initiative	The Industry Standard	Sindya Bhanoo	General Electric is making a big investment in healthcare IT.
11/18/2008	Court Upholds New Hampshire Drug Law	New York Times	Stephanie Saul	The prescription data industry took a hit yesterday when the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled that New Hampshire's law to restrict access to doctor's prescription-writing habits is constitutional.
11/13/2008	Is There a Privacy Risk in Google Flu Trends?	New York Times	Miguel Helft	Privacy advocates are questioning Google on its new Flu Trends service.
11/11/2008	Google uses web searches to track flu's spread	New York Times	Miguel Helft	The New York Times reports that Google Flu Trends aggregates users' flu-related Internet searches and charts activity by state and region. The information is expected to help healthcare providers more effectively respond to outbreaks, among other benefits.
11/5/2008	Does personalized genomics pit privacy against ethics?	Ars Technica	John Timmer	A look at the privacy and ethical considerations associated with personalized genomics, outlining two online commentaries from the journal Nature.
11/1/2008	Oregon man's STD reporting website generates controversy	KGW		An Oregon man has created a Web site that "outs" people who have incurable sexually transmitted diseases.
10/30/2008	Tally of improperly accessed UCLA patient records tops 1,000	Los Angeles Times	Rong-Gong Lin II	California's Department of Public Health issued its final report on UCLA Medical Center data breaches yesterday, revealing that the total number of patients whose medical data was improperly accessed is 1,041.
10/29/2008	Congressional Democrats are drafting a new health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Congressional Democrats are working on a measure that includes added incentives for healthcare providers to adopt e-health records, the report states.
10/28/2008	Health care data security breaches in the U.S.	SC Magazine	Kevin Prince	Kevin Prince reveals the results of a study to determine the impact of data security breaches in the U.S. healthcare industry.
10/28/2008	Laws help limit use of wellness program data	Associated Press	Tom Murphy	Employees concerned about what happens with the information spawned from their use of employer-sponsored wellness programs might find comfort in the fact there are laws to prevent bosses from obtaining that information.
10/22/2008	A promising diagnosis: Creating unique patient IDs could mean safer, cheaper, more efficient health care	Houston Chronicle		Americans "should be getting more bang for their buck" when it comes to healthcare, says a Houston Chronicle editorial, and a new RAND Corp. study shows how they could.
10/21/2008	OMB sponsors online discussion of privacy issues	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	The National Academy of Public Administration will hold a public, virtual discussion on healthcare privacy issues.
10/21/2008	Genetic Privacy: An outdated concern?	Technology Review	Emily Singer	One participant in the Personal Genome Project, the Harvard University Medical School study that will share the sensitive medical and health information, including genetic predispositions, of 10 volunteers, told the MIT Technology Review that she wanted to share her genomic information in order to "bring genomic information into the realm of the mundane."
10/19/2008	The DNA Age - Taking a Peek at the Experts' Genetic Secrets	New York Times	Amy Harmon	A Harvard University Medical School study will make available to the public the sensitive medical information of 10 people, with their consent.
10/16/2008	HIPAA Covered Entities in Calif. Could See Stiff Penalties for Privacy Breaches	AIS Health Business Daily	Bill Learner	Two new California laws aimed at protecting citizens' healthcare information are expected to shake things up in the sector.
10/16/2008	Experts predict federal law on medical ID theft	Government Health IT	John Pulley	A strengthened federal law to combat medical ID theft may be on the horizon.
10/7/2008	New health-care privacy laws heighten need for HIPAA compliance in California	Computerworld	Jaikumar Vijayan	Two data privacy bills signed into law in California last week are expected to fuel compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
10/1/2008	Schwarzenegger signs bill creating hospital privacy oversight office	Los Angeles Times	Jordan Rau & Patrick McGreevy	California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed two bills aimed at protecting patient privacy.
9/30/2008	HHS Rule Exempts Four Federal Systems From Privacy Act Provisions	iHealthBeat		The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week published a final rule to exempt HITS, the system that tracks alleged violations of certain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provisions, and three other "systems of records," including two complaint tracking systems and a fraud investigation database.
9/29/2008	Cell phone cameras create privacy issue	Daily Herald	Scripps Howard News Service	Concerns about cell phones affecting the functionality of medical equipment once caused many hospitals to ban or restrict their use, but new phone technologies now give patients and healthcare providers cause for concern.
9/26/2008	A New Medical Procedure	US Airways Magazine	Dan Tynan	The movement to bring digital health records to the mainstream must overcome two big hurdles, according to Dan Tynan, writing for US Airways Magazine: provider adoption and consumer confidence.
9/23/2008	Health care CIO tackles complex security, privacy mandates	SearchCIO.com	Linda Tucci	In a Q&A interview with SearchCIO.com, the CIO of a nonprofit health system discusses what she describes as the "extreme complexities" of healthcare privacy.
9/23/2008	Human error to blame for Grady data breach	Atlanta Journal Constitution	Craig Schneider	Forty-five patient records from an Atlanta hospital were inadvertently posted onto a publicly available area of the Web and remained there for three weeks.
9/22/2008	Hospital employees post patients' pictures on Web site	International Herald Tribune	Associated Press	Two University of New Mexico Hospital employees have been fired for taking photographs of emergency room patients and posting them on MySpace.
9/19/2008	HHS needs to extend health privacy efforts	Government Health IT	John Moore	A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reveals that there is room for improvement in Health and Human Services Department efforts to protect patients' health information in a national network environment.
9/17/2008	Rep. Stark Introduces Bill To Create Electronic Medical Records System, Strengthen Privacy	Medical News Today		The chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee earlier this week introduced a bill to develop a national system of electronic medical records and incentives for using the system.
9/8/2008	Feds finally put teeth into HIPAA enforcement	Computerworld	Jaikumar Vijayan	The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) recent enforcement of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) violations is being viewed as a harbinger of future HIPAA-related crackdowns.
9/5/2008	CEOs urge government push for HER adoption	Healthcare IT News	Bernie Monegain	A group of CEOs representing about 160 U.S. companies is urging Congress to make the adoption of health IT technologies a priority in the coming legislative session.
8/30/2008	Patient Privacy Advocate named one of the most powerful people in healthcare industry	TechWhack		The founder of a consumer privacy advocacy has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine.
8/28/2008	Emotional Distress Not Enough to Recover for Privacy Act Violations	Wall Street Journal	Dan Slater	The courts are divided on whether emotional distress caused by the government's illegal disclosure of a person's medical information warrants damages.
8/27/2008	New oversight, stiffer penalties approved for snooping into patients records	Los Angeles Times	Patrick McGreevy	The California state Senate yesterday approved a measure to help improve patient privacy. The bill would establish a state Office of Health Information Integrity and would require hospitals to compose plans for safeguarding patient information.
8/26/2008	Who's reading your medical files today?	Christian Science Monitor	Sue Blevins	Sue Blevins says that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) fails to ensure patients' privacy and that Congress needs to develop stronger privacy rights for patients.
8/20/2008	The Security And Privacy Of Healthcare Data	Information Week	George Hulme	A group of nine healthcare companies interested in enhancing the privacy and security of electronic patient information above and beyond what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires have created a consortium dedicated to delivering best practices on electronic medical records.
8/17/2008	Medical privacy law fails to stop snooping	Des Moines Register	Clark Kauffman	The majority of the 38,000 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) complaints filed over the past five years have never been investigated.
8/16/2008	A Social Network for Your Doctor, Pharmacist and Insurer	The Washington Post	Kendra Marr	A new employer-sponsored social network for patients and healthcare providers aims to help companies evaluate their corporate health plans, but has many concerned about patient privacy.
8/7/2008	Hospitals See Attention to Patient Privacy as Competitive Advantage	AIS Health Business Daily	Report on Patient Privacy	In the increasingly competitive hospital marketplace, patient privacy has taken a front seat as administrators realize the link between patient privacy and customer satisfaction.
8/5/2008	More UCLA staff saw celebs' health records	The Mercury News	Associated Press	More UCLA Medical Center staff members than originally estimated inappropriately accessed the medical records of celebrities and other well-known patients between 2004 and 2006.
8/4/2008	Prescription Data Used To Assess Consumers	The Washington Post	Ellen Nakashima	A new tool for insurance companies is raising concern among privacy and consumer advocates. The use of health "credit reports" to assess coverage viability is becoming popular practice.
8/1/2008	Rx drug law faces legal hurdle	Battleboro Reformer	Bob Audette	The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) is contesting a Vermont law that regulates how private companies use physicians' prescription data.
7/29/2008	Writing is on the wall for doctors' e-prescriptions	USA Today	Janet Kornblum	Financial incentives to help drive doctors' use of e-prescriptions are expected to reduce medical errors and possibly save organizations money. But some privacy advocates worry that digitizing prescriptions will make it easier for pharmacies to sell and trade them, opening up patients to privacy violations.
7/28/2008	Medical bloggers risk patient privacy breaches	Fierce Healthcare	Anne Zieger	Researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania recently revealed the results of a study aimed at determining whether some medical blogs might violate patient privacy.
7/24/2008	Rep. Stark will propose another health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	On the heels of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's passing of a bipartisan health IT bill, one California lawmaker announced he will introduce new health IT legislation
7/24/2008	CCHIT will focus on privacy in certifying PHRs	Government Health IT	Maureen McKinney	The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) will begin certifying personal health records (PHR) for privacy.
7/23/2008	Is HIPAA now spelled APATHY?	ADVANCE for Health Information Executives	Margret Amatayakul and Michael R. Cohen	An Advance article suggests that healthcare provider organizations have little motivation to bear the costs associated with complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security rule due to an apparent lack of consequences for non-compliance.
7/23/2008	House committee approves major health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	A bill to help usher in electronic health records for all Americans has been approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008 won unanimous endorsement yesterday, after committee members made final tweaks to the bill's language for privacy and business considerations.
7/22/2008	Lawmakers tweak privacy language to keep business community on board with IT bill	TheHill.com	Jeffrey Young	The House Energy and Commerce Committee will soften the privacy provisions of a measure to advance the use of information technology in healthcare recordkeeping.
7/22/2008	Providence to pay fine for health privacy violations	oregonlive.com	Joe Rojas-Burke	Providence Health & Services will pay $100,000 to settle violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The nonprofit health system has been under federal investigation for failing to protect the medical records of nearly 400,000 patients in Oregon and Washington. The records were stolen when unencrypted computer disks, laptops and digital tapes were stolen from employees' vehicles in 2005 and 2006.
7/21/2008	S.C. Medicaid patients' records go online	The Post and Courier	Jill Coley	The medical histories of 800,000 South Carolina Medicaid patients are now online. The S.C. Department of Health and Human Services houses the encrypted data and bounces information to clinics and doctors' offices upon request and at no charge.
7/10/2008	UPDATE: Privacy Protections Key to Electronic Records Bill	cnnmoney.com	Fawn Johnson	Representative Joe Barton told a Washington, D.C. audience that privacy protections being written into the proposed law will be the strongest in 5 to 10 years, and that he believes those provisions will stand as a model for other industries to follow.
7/10/2008	UPDATE: Privacy Protections Key to Electronic Records Bill	cnnmoney.com	Fawn Johnson	Representative Joe Barton told a Washington, D.C. audience that privacy protections being written into the proposed law will be the strongest in 5 to 10 years, and that he believes those provisions will stand as a model for other industries to follow.
7/3/2008	Mayor: Pregnancy numbers may violate privacy	Gloucester Daily Times	Patrick Anderson	Gloucester, Massachusetts mayor Carolyn Kirk is looking into whether the Gloucester High School (GHS) health clinic violated students' rights to privacy in releasing details about pregnancies. The school has been under the international news spotlight since the press first reported an increase in teen pregnancies among students.
7/3/2008	Mayor: Pregnancy numbers may violate privacy	Gloucester Daily Times	Patrick Anderson	Gloucester, Massachusetts mayor Carolyn Kirk is looking into whether the Gloucester High School (GHS) health clinic violated students' rights to privacy in releasing details about pregnancies. The school has been under the international news spotlight since the press first reported an increase in teen pregnancies among students.
6/29/2008	AG pushes for prescription drug database	Boston Globe	Associated Press	Drug abuse deaths have surpassed traffic accident deaths for the past two years, and New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte wants to help curb this growing problem by creating a centralized database to track commonly abused prescription drugs.
6/29/2008	AG pushes for prescription drug database	Boston Globe	Associated Press	Drug abuse deaths have surpassed traffic accident deaths for the past two years, and New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte wants to help curb this growing problem by creating a centralized database to track commonly abused prescription drugs.
6/25/2008	Privacy provisions threaten health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	After receiving voice vote approval from the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee on Friday, a bill to upgrade privacy provisions for electronic health records (EHRs) moves to full committee.
6/25/2008	Prescription for Protecting Health Records	Globe and Mail	Michael Liedtke	About six million Americans today store their medical records online, but millions more have not embraced the idea yet, largely due to privacy concerns. But multiple players in the personal health record (PHR) arena have agreed on a set of guidelines for protecting patient privacy that they hope will assure consumers of their records' safety so they will begin using PHRs, which have been developed to offer consumers a more convenient method for managing their medical histories.
6/25/2008	Privacy provisions threaten health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	After receiving voice vote approval from the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee on Friday, a bill to upgrade privacy provisions for electronic health records (EHRs) moves to full committee.
6/25/2008	Prescription for Protecting Health Records	Globe and Mail	Michael Liedtke	About six million Americans today store their medical records online, but millions more have not embraced the idea yet, largely due to privacy concerns. But multiple players in the personal health record (PHR) arena have agreed on a set of guidelines for protecting patient privacy that they hope will assure consumers of their records' safety so they will begin using PHRs, which have been developed to offer consumers a more convenient method for managing their medical histories.
6/16/2008	HIPAA Privacy Rule Impedes Biomedical Research	The Earth Times	Association of Academic Health Centers	A report of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) finds that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule has a negative impact on the advance of biomedical research.
6/16/2008	HIPAA Privacy Rule Impedes Biomedical Research	The Earth Times	Association of Academic Health Centers	A report of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) finds that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule has a negative impact on the advance of biomedical research.
6/15/2008	Area authorities hamstrung by HIPAA regulations	Green Bay Press Gazette	Andy Helesen	Some Wisconsin law enforcement officials are feeling bound by the privacy protections afforded by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which limits the details that can be released about a patient's care and condition.
6/15/2008	Area authorities hamstrung by HIPAA regulations	Green Bay Press Gazette	Andy Helesen	Some Wisconsin law enforcement officials are feeling bound by the privacy protections afforded by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which limits the details that can be released about a patient's care and condition.
6/13/2008	Blue Cross plans Web access to records	The Boston Globe	Jeffrey Krasner	Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts has partnered with Google Health to offer patients an online tool for managing and transporting their medical records.
6/13/2008	Blue Cross plans Web access to records	The Boston Globe	Jeffrey Krasner	Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts has partnered with Google Health to offer patients an online tool for managing and transporting their medical records.
6/10/2008	Utah hospital billing records from over 2 million patients stolen	kutv.com	Associated Press	The billing records of 2.2 million University of Utah Hospital patients have been stolen. The records were contained on backup tapes in a gray metal box and were stolen from the vehicle of a courier who failed to deliver the box to a storage center immediately after picking it up from the hospital on June 1.
6/10/2008	Utah hospital billing records from over 2 million patients stolen	kutv.com	Associated Press	The billing records of 2.2 million University of Utah Hospital patients have been stolen. The records were contained on backup tapes in a gray metal box and were stolen from the vehicle of a courier who failed to deliver the box to a storage center immediately after picking it up from the hospital on June 1.
6/5/2008	Jerry Brown's Rx for drug abuse: the Internet	Los Angeles Times	Tim Reiterman	California Attorney General Jerry Brown wants to update the state's prescription monitoring system in order to more effectively fight prescription drug abuse.
6/5/2008	Your private health details may already be online	CNN.com	Elizabeth Cohen	Mammogram results. Birth control preferences. Prescription drugs. A CNN medical correspondent reports how she stumbled across her own health data online and in detail.
6/5/2008	Jerry Brown's Rx for drug abuse: the Internet	Los Angeles Times	Tim Reiterman	California Attorney General Jerry Brown wants to update the state's prescription monitoring system in order to more effectively fight prescription drug abuse.
6/5/2008	Your private health details may already be online	CNN.com	Elizabeth Cohen	Mammogram results. Birth control preferences. Prescription drugs. A CNN medical correspondent reports how she stumbled across her own health data online and in detail.
5/30/2008	Senate bill OKs druggists' sharing patient files	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The California Senate last week approved a bill to allow pharmacies to share patient prescription information with third-parties.
5/30/2008	Senate bill OKs druggists' sharing patient files	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The California Senate last week approved a bill to allow pharmacies to share patient prescription information with third-parties.
5/29/2008	Task force to review UCSF data security	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The University of California-San Francisco has developed a task force of institutional leaders to conduct a comprehensive review of actions needed to protect sensitive data.
5/29/2008	Task force to review UCSF data security	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The University of California-San Francisco has developed a task force of institutional leaders to conduct a comprehensive review of actions needed to protect sensitive data.
5/28/2008	Bill would let pharmacies sell medical records	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The California state Senate is expected to vote on a bill today that would allow pharmacies to sell confidential patient information to firms that market for pharmaceutical companies
5/28/2008	Proposal To Strengthen Health Information Technology Released	Government Technology		Draft legislation to encourage the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) was released last week by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
5/28/2008	Bill would let pharmacies sell medical records	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	The California state Senate is expected to vote on a bill today that would allow pharmacies to sell confidential patient information to firms that market for pharmaceutical companies
5/28/2008	Proposal To Strengthen Health Information Technology Released	Government Technology		Draft legislation to encourage the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) was released last week by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
5/27/2008	Hospitals, patients clash on privacy rights	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	Advancement programs have become critical in this day where one third of the nation's hospitals operate in the red and another third barely break even.
5/27/2008	Hospitals, patients clash on privacy rights	San Francisco Chronicle	Elizabeth Fernandez	Advancement programs have become critical in this day where one third of the nation's hospitals operate in the red and another third barely break even.
5/23/2008	Proliferating HIFAA complaints and medical record breaches	SC Magazine	Sue Marquette Poremba	While alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are on the rise, the number of complaints being resolved continues to decline.
5/23/2008	Proliferating HIFAA complaints and medical record breaches	SC Magazine	Sue Marquette Poremba	While alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are on the rise, the number of complaints being resolved continues to decline.
5/19/2008	Google Makes Health Service Publicly Available	The Associated Press	Rachel Metz	After completing a pilot program with volunteer patients at the Cleveland Clinic, Google made available to the public its service for aggregating medical records. Google Health gives users electronic access to their health histories and lets them link information from various entities involved in their health care, including pharmacies, diagnostic labs and providers.
5/19/2008	Google Makes Health Service Publicly Available	The Associated Press	Rachel Metz	After completing a pilot program with volunteer patients at the Cleveland Clinic, Google made available to the public its service for aggregating medical records. Google Health gives users electronic access to their health histories and lets them link information from various entities involved in their health care, including pharmacies, diagnostic labs and providers.
5/15/2008	Privacy Protections Will Be Added to Wired for Health Care Quality Bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Government Health IT reports that measures to better protect patient privacy will be added to the Wired for Health Care Quality Act. The bill was held up in the Senate due to Senator Patrick Leahy's concerns about the security and privacy of health records.
5/15/2008	Privacy Protections Will Be Added to Wired for Health Care Quality Bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Government Health IT reports that measures to better protect patient privacy will be added to the Wired for Health Care Quality Act. The bill was held up in the Senate due to Senator Patrick Leahy's concerns about the security and privacy of health records.
5/13/2008	Privacy advocates seek to protect prescription information	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Concerned groups are asking Congress to include privacy provisions into a proposed e-prescribing mandate or else not pass the legislation. The Coalition for Patient Privacy and 25 other organizations co-signed a letter to lawmakers asking for 11 protections to help protect the privacy of prescription information.
5/13/2008	More tied to USLA snooping	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	The Los Angeles Times reports that as many as 14 more employees of the UCLA Medical Center have been implicated in the scandal that saw the health records of some well-known patients compromised by unauthorized access.
5/13/2008	Privacy advocates seek to protect prescription information	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	Concerned groups are asking Congress to include privacy provisions into a proposed e-prescribing mandate or else not pass the legislation. The Coalition for Patient Privacy and 25 other organizations co-signed a letter to lawmakers asking for 11 protections to help protect the privacy of prescription information.
5/13/2008	More tied to USLA snooping	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	The Los Angeles Times reports that as many as 14 more employees of the UCLA Medical Center have been implicated in the scandal that saw the health records of some well-known patients compromised by unauthorized access.
5/12/2008	Healthcare 2015: Without change, not a pretty picture	Wisconsin Technology Network	Joe Vanden Plas	Speaking at a meeting of the Wisconsin Technology Network Jim Adams, executive director of IBM's Center for Healthcare Management told attendees that the status quo for the healthcare industry is unsustainable, but transformation will not be easy.
5/12/2008	Healthcare 2015: Without change, not a pretty picture	Wisconsin Technology Network	Joe Vanden Plas	Speaking at a meeting of the Wisconsin Technology Network Jim Adams, executive director of IBM's Center for Healthcare Management told attendees that the status quo for the healthcare industry is unsustainable, but transformation will not be easy.
5/8/2008	Maryland Court of Appeals Weighs Patients' Privacy Rights	Red Orbit	Steve Lash	Maryland's highest court is weighing a case brought forward by the Maryland State Board of Physicians' against a psychiatrist who, citing privacy concerns, refused to surrender patient records requested by the board until a year after the request.
5/8/2008	Maryland Court of Appeals Weighs Patients' Privacy Rights	Red Orbit	Steve Lash	Maryland's highest court is weighing a case brought forward by the Maryland State Board of Physicians' against a psychiatrist who, citing privacy concerns, refused to surrender patient records requested by the board until a year after the request.
5/7/2008	Opinion: Benefits of personal health records will eclipse privacy concerns	Computer World	Jay Cline	Jay Cline predicts that in five years, the privacy debate over personal health records will be over and we'll all be storing our medical histories electronically in a central location.
5/7/2008	Opinion: Benefits of personal health records will eclipse privacy concerns	Computer World	Jay Cline	Jay Cline predicts that in five years, the privacy debate over personal health records will be over and we'll all be storing our medical histories electronically in a central location.
4/29/2008	Patients often struggle for access to medical records	USA Today	Robert Davis	USA Today recounts the difficulties some patients and families have endured in attempting to gain access to medical records, especially following unfortunate events.
4/29/2008	Are your medical records at risk?	Wall Street Journal	Sarah Rubenstein	Electronic health records offer the promise of convenience and security to patients everywhere, but an ongoing slew of privacy breaches in the healthcare sector may undermine efforts toward this.
4/29/2008	Patients often struggle for access to medical records	USA Today	Robert Davis	USA Today recounts the difficulties some patients and families have endured in attempting to gain access to medical records, especially following unfortunate events.
4/29/2008	Are your medical records at risk?	Wall Street Journal	Sarah Rubenstein	Electronic health records offer the promise of convenience and security to patients everywhere, but an ongoing slew of privacy breaches in the healthcare sector may undermine efforts toward this.
4/28/2008	Genetic Data Bill Lacks Privacy Protections, Advocate Warns	iHealthBeat		Yesterday's Daily Dashboard reported on the Senate's passing of the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act, which would protect people whose genetic testing reveals a susceptibility to serious disease from discriminatory employment and insurance practices based on those results. Today, at least one privacy advocate says the bill would not stop employers or insurers from doing that.
4/28/2008	Genetic Data Bill Lacks Privacy Protections, Advocate Warns	iHealthBeat		Yesterday's Daily Dashboard reported on the Senate's passing of the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act, which would protect people whose genetic testing reveals a susceptibility to serious disease from discriminatory employment and insurance practices based on those results. Today, at least one privacy advocate says the bill would not stop employers or insurers from doing that.
4/26/2008	Should you trust your health records to Google and Microsoft?	PC World	Erik Larkin	While a number of companies are in the process of developing electronic health record systems that would give patients greater control and access to their medical records, the success of any of these systems would require the establishment of trust between patient and vendor.
4/26/2008	U.S Senate Passes Genetic Anti-Discrimination Bill	The Washington Post		In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a bill to protect people who learn through genetic testing that they might be susceptible to serious disease.
4/26/2008	Should you trust your health records to Google and Microsoft?	PC World	Erik Larkin	While a number of companies are in the process of developing electronic health record systems that would give patients greater control and access to their medical records, the success of any of these systems would require the establishment of trust between patient and vendor.
4/26/2008	U.S Senate Passes Genetic Anti-Discrimination Bill	The Washington Post		In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a bill to protect people who learn through genetic testing that they might be susceptible to serious disease.
4/25/2008	Health-Care company, state deny personal data was at risk	Wisconsin State Journal	Scott Bauer	Following a report by a Wisconsin state official claiming to have identified a security breach exposing sensitive healthcare data for about 240,000 senior citizens and disabled individuals, Harmony Information Systems said the information was never at risk, and that the person who reported the breach was mistaken.
4/25/2008	Health-Care company, state deny personal data was at risk	Wisconsin State Journal	Scott Bauer	Following a report by a Wisconsin state official claiming to have identified a security breach exposing sensitive healthcare data for about 240,000 senior citizens and disabled individuals, Harmony Information Systems said the information was never at risk, and that the person who reported the breach was mistaken.
4/22/2008	Sneakwrapped medical forms	Info World	Ed Foster	The Gripe Line blog at InfoWorld.com tells of one reader's experience while preparing to undergo a colonoscopy. While filling out routine forms prior to the procedure, one form caught the patient's eye and, after a careful read, the form appeared to be an agreement to share family medical history and personally identifiable information--including Social Security number--with a third-party genetic research organization for the purpose of a possible consultation.
4/22/2008	Sneakwrapped medical forms	Info World	Ed Foster	The Gripe Line blog at InfoWorld.com tells of one reader's experience while preparing to undergo a colonoscopy. While filling out routine forms prior to the procedure, one form caught the patient's eye and, after a careful read, the form appeared to be an agreement to share family medical history and personally identifiable information--including Social Security number--with a third-party genetic research organization for the purpose of a possible consultation.
4/17/2008	Warning on Storage of Health Records	New York Times	Steve Lohr	Two leading medical researchers and proponents of electronic patient records have raised concerns about large companies not bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) creating the electronic health record market.
4/17/2008	Warning on Storage of Health Records	New York Times	Steve Lohr	Two leading medical researchers and proponents of electronic patient records have raised concerns about large companies not bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) creating the electronic health record market.
4/12/2008	Doctors get off lighter in UCLA snooping case	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	When it was discovered that staff at UCLA Medical Center had violated the law and hospital policy by accessing the medical records of pop diva Britney Spears, the consequences for non-doctors were more severe. Of 53 employees not associated with her care who looked at Spears' medical files, 18 were fired, resigned or retired; none of those who lost their jobs were physicians.
4/12/2008	Doctors get off lighter in UCLA snooping case	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	When it was discovered that staff at UCLA Medical Center had violated the law and hospital policy by accessing the medical records of pop diva Britney Spears, the consequences for non-doctors were more severe. Of 53 employees not associated with her care who looked at Spears' medical files, 18 were fired, resigned or retired; none of those who lost their jobs were physicians.
4/9/2008	White House science and tech panel will call for broader privacy law	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) wants Congress to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Specifically, in a report being prepared on personalized medicine, the council will call for better protection of genetic information.
4/9/2008	Effectiveness of medical privacy law is questioned	Los Angeles Times	Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar	A decade since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed, the law's effectiveness is being called into question by lawyers and advocates who point to the startling fact that, of more than 34,000 privacy violation complaints filed under the law's provision, there have been only about a half-dozen prosecutions.
4/9/2008	White House science and tech panel will call for broader privacy law	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) wants Congress to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Specifically, in a report being prepared on personalized medicine, the council will call for better protection of genetic information.
4/9/2008	Effectiveness of medical privacy law is questioned	Los Angeles Times	Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar	A decade since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed, the law's effectiveness is being called into question by lawyers and advocates who point to the startling fact that, of more than 34,000 privacy violation complaints filed under the law's provision, there have been only about a half-dozen prosecutions.
4/8/2008	Schwarzenegger says his medical records were accessed, too	Los Angeles Times	Evan Halper	California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he will continue pressuring hospitals to better protect patients' privacy.
4/8/2008	Schwarzenegger says his medical records were accessed, too	Los Angeles Times	Evan Halper	California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he will continue pressuring hospitals to better protect patients' privacy.
4/3/2008	Sponsors seek to move on health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	A bill intended to enhance the adoption and implementation of a nationwide interoperable health information network is stalled due to disagreement in the Senate on how to ensure the privacy of electronic health records.
4/3/2008	Privacy advocate's health data is stolen	MSNBC	Associated Press	Congressman Joe Barton, a founder of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, was among the patients whose data was compromised in the recent theft of a National Institutes of Health laptop computer.
4/3/2008	Sponsors seek to move on health IT bill	Government Health IT	Nancy Ferris	A bill intended to enhance the adoption and implementation of a nationwide interoperable health information network is stalled due to disagreement in the Senate on how to ensure the privacy of electronic health records.
4/3/2008	Privacy advocate's health data is stolen	MSNBC	Associated Press	Congressman Joe Barton, a founder of the Congressional Privacy Caucus, was among the patients whose data was compromised in the recent theft of a National Institutes of Health laptop computer.
3/18/2008	Why Hospitals Want Your Credit Report	Wall Street Journal	Sarah Rubenstein	In a trend that has some people concerned, more and more hospitals are looking into the credit records of their patients to gauge ability to pay. Hospital administrators say the credit checks are to determine which individuals are worth pursuing in the event of unpaid medical bills.
3/18/2008	Why Hospitals Want Your Credit Report	Wall Street Journal	Sarah Rubenstein	In a trend that has some people concerned, more and more hospitals are looking into the credit records of their patients to gauge ability to pay. Hospital administrators say the credit checks are to determine which individuals are worth pursuing in the event of unpaid medical bills.
3/17/2008	Medical Records Go Digital	Time	Kathleen Kingsbury	This week's merger of UK-based Misys PLC with Chicago-based Allscripts will create a single company that provides electronic health record (EHR) services to about a third of the U.S. market, building momentum for the push toward an EHR standard in the $20 billion market.
3/17/2008	Medical Records Go Digital	Time	Kathleen Kingsbury	This week's merger of UK-based Misys PLC with Chicago-based Allscripts will create a single company that provides electronic health record (EHR) services to about a third of the U.S. market, building momentum for the push toward an EHR standard in the $20 billion market.
3/15/2008	UCLA workers snooped in Spears' medical records	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	The UCLA Medical Center is taking action following the discovery that employees at the hospital accessed the records of troubled pop star Britney Spears without authorization.
3/15/2008	UCLA workers snooped in Spears' medical records	Los Angeles Times	Charles Ornstein	The UCLA Medical Center is taking action following the discovery that employees at the hospital accessed the records of troubled pop star Britney Spears without authorization.
3/13/2008	House Kills Medical Privacy Bill	New Hampshire Business Review	Bob Sanders	A bill to extend HIPAA by placing more privacy restrictions on electronic medical records failed in the New Hampshire House, 166-150.
3/13/2008	The Impostor in the ER	Self Magazine	Richard Rys	As the problem of medical identity theft becomes more widespread it is becoming clear that the potential consequences extend well beyond financial. While many cases of medical identity theft involve insurance fraud or access to controlled pharmaceuticals, falsified use of medical identity can have life-or-death implications if the affected patient's records contain information from a fraudulent user that may result in an improper diagnosis or treatment.
3/13/2008	House Kills Medical Privacy Bill	New Hampshire Business Review	Bob Sanders	A bill to extend HIPAA by placing more privacy restrictions on electronic medical records failed in the New Hampshire House, 166-150.
3/13/2008	The Impostor in the ER	Self Magazine	Richard Rys	As the problem of medical identity theft becomes more widespread it is becoming clear that the potential consequences extend well beyond financial. While many cases of medical identity theft involve insurance fraud or access to controlled pharmaceuticals, falsified use of medical identity can have life-or-death implications if the affected patient's records contain information from a fraudulent user that may result in an improper diagnosis or treatment.
3/10/2008	Health files are sold as scrap paper to Utahn	Desert News	Aaron Falk	The medical records of 27 Central Florida Regional Hospital patients wound up in a Utah fourth-grade classroom as scrap paper after an apparent shipping blunder.
3/10/2008	Health files are sold as scrap paper to Utahn	Desert News	Aaron Falk	The medical records of 27 Central Florida Regional Hospital patients wound up in a Utah fourth-grade classroom as scrap paper after an apparent shipping blunder.
3/7/2008	Web 2.0: A Promising Prescription	TechNewsWorld	Sonia Arrison	Is a market-driven system for keeping health records better than one run by the government? Yes, says Sonia Arrison, writing for TechNewsWorld.
3/7/2008	Web 2.0: A Promising Prescription	TechNewsWorld	Sonia Arrison	Is a market-driven system for keeping health records better than one run by the government? Yes, says Sonia Arrison, writing for TechNewsWorld.
3/4/2008	Bay State Senate bill would mandate electronic health records	Mass High Tech		Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray has introduced a bill to the state legislature that would mandate adoption of electronic health records (EHR) in the state by 2015.
2/28/2008	Business Technology: Will a spoonful of Google help cure healthcare?	Wall Street Journal	Ben Worthen	In addition to privacy concerns, companies like Google, Microsoft and others that have announced intentions to create electronic health record services will be forced to contend with institutional prejudice.
2/26/2008	Medical Data Targeted By Foreign Hackers	Cnet News.com	Robert Vamosi	The Department of Homeland Security has said that databases containing medical records of American citizens are popular targets for attack by foreign hackers.
2/26/2008	Medical Data Targeted By Foreign Hackers	Cnet News.com	Robert Vamosi	The Department of Homeland Security has said that databases containing medical records of American citizens are popular targets for attack by foreign hackers.
2/25/2008	Google's Medical Record Plan Gets Mixed Reception	Newsday	Kathleen Kerr	Newsday in New York reports that, while the existence of electronic health records is not new, some doctors are expressing concern about putting sensitive medical information online.
2/25/2008	Washington State Considers Barring Data Mining By Pharmas	The Tacoma News Tribune	Niki Sullivan	The Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Washington State legislature is considering a ban on medical data mining by pharmaceutical sales organizations. The bill, which Speaker Frank Chopp says has a good chance of passing in the current session, would prevent drug companies from obtaining prescription data for the purpose of marketing their products to medical offices.
2/25/2008	Google's Medical Record Plan Gets Mixed Reception	Newsday	Kathleen Kerr	Newsday in New York reports that, while the existence of electronic health records is not new, some doctors are expressing concern about putting sensitive medical information online.
2/25/2008	Washington State Considers Barring Data Mining By Pharmas	The Tacoma News Tribune	Niki Sullivan	The Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Washington State legislature is considering a ban on medical data mining by pharmaceutical sales organizations. The bill, which Speaker Frank Chopp says has a good chance of passing in the current session, would prevent drug companies from obtaining prescription data for the purpose of marketing their products to medical offices.
2/24/2008	Insurance Bias Fears Keep Some From DNA Tests	New York Times	Amy Harmon	Patients concerned about potential genetic health issues are avoiding DNA testing out of fear that they will be denied insurance, according to The New York Times. The report describes the plight of one patient who paid for a private DNA test, then struggled with a decision to disclose the results to her doctor when it revealed a high probability for contracting a form of emphysema.
2/24/2008	Privacy Group Aims For Model State Law in 2009	Government Health IT	Brian Robinson	A multi-state collaborative seeking ways to align its health information privacy rules to make it easier to share data across health information exchanges is aiming for a demonstration law that states could use as a model in 2009.
2/24/2008	Insurance Bias Fears Keep Some From DNA Tests	New York Times	Amy Harmon	Patients concerned about potential genetic health issues are avoiding DNA testing out of fear that they will be denied insurance, according to The New York Times. The report describes the plight of one patient who paid for a private DNA test, then struggled with a decision to disclose the results to her doctor when it revealed a high probability for contracting a form of emphysema.
2/24/2008	Privacy Group Aims For Model State Law in 2009	Government Health IT	Brian Robinson	A multi-state collaborative seeking ways to align its health information privacy rules to make it easier to share data across health information exchanges is aiming for a demonstration law that states could use as a model in 2009.
2/21/2008	Google Enters Healthcare Data Market	CNN.com		Google Inc. will begin storing the medical records of a few thousand people as it tests a long-awaited health service that's likely to raise more concerns about the volume of sensitive information entrusted to the Internet search leader.
2/21/2008	Google Enters Healthcare Data Market	CNN.com		Google Inc. will begin storing the medical records of a few thousand people as it tests a long-awaited health service that's likely to raise more concerns about the volume of sensitive information entrusted to the Internet search leader.
2/20/2008	New California Law Strengthens Health Data Privacy	Mondaq	Shirley Morrigan, Andrew B. Serwin, Leean Habte, Michael Scarano and Lisa Acevedo	A new paper published by Mondaq and authored by lawyers from Foley Lardner says that, by extending the provisions of California's data breach notification law to include organizations dealing with health care data, the state has strengthened the overall security of healthcare data.
2/20/2008	Health data storage sites might not be secure	San Francisco Chronicle	Deborah Gage	The World Privacy Forum is warning consumers about the potential pitfalls of using newly popular services that consolidate personal health records - especially when they're kept by companies that are not subject to current federal regulations on privacy and security.
2/20/2008	New California Law Strengthens Health Data Privacy	Mondaq	Shirley Morrigan, Andrew B. Serwin, Leean Habte, Michael Scarano and Lisa Acevedo	A new paper published by Mondaq and authored by lawyers from Foley Lardner says that, by extending the provisions of California's data breach notification law to include organizations dealing with health care data, the state has strengthened the overall security of healthcare data.
2/20/2008	Health data storage sites might not be secure	San Francisco Chronicle	Deborah Gage	The World Privacy Forum is warning consumers about the potential pitfalls of using newly popular services that consolidate personal health records - especially when they're kept by companies that are not subject to current federal regulations on privacy and security.
2/17/2008	Prescription Drug Database Proposed	The Peninsula Clarion	Hal Spence	A measure now before the Alaska Senate would authorize the Board of Pharmacy to create and keep a detailed record of which Alaskans are using prescription drugs.
2/17/2008	Prescription Drug Database Proposed	The Peninsula Clarion	Hal Spence	A measure now before the Alaska Senate would authorize the Board of Pharmacy to create and keep a detailed record of which Alaskans are using prescription drugs.
2/12/2008	N.J. Insurer Uses Web Photos To Deny Healthcare Claim	Insurance & Technology	Nathan Conz	New Jersey health insurance provider Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield has denied a medical claim filed by a family whose 15-year old daughter suffers from an eating disorder because, according to the company, photos the girl posted to social networking sites suggest that her problem is psychological in nature, not biological, and therefore does not qualify under the policy's provisions.
2/12/2008	N.J. Insurer Uses Web Photos To Deny Healthcare Claim	Insurance & Technology	Nathan Conz	New Jersey health insurance provider Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield has denied a medical claim filed by a family whose 15-year old daughter suffers from an eating disorder because, according to the company, photos the girl posted to social networking sites suggest that her problem is psychological in nature, not biological, and therefore does not qualify under the policy's provisions.
2/10/2008	New Hampshire Considers Stricter Health Record Rules	Fosters.com	Victoria Guay	According to Foster's Daily Democrat, the New Hampshire State Legislature is considering a bill that would impose stricter limits on the use and security of healthcare data. Sponsored by State Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, House Bill 1587 addresses security issues related to the migration of health records from paper to electronic format.
2/10/2008	New Hampshire Considers Stricter Health Record Rules	Fosters.com	Victoria Guay	According to Foster's Daily Democrat, the New Hampshire State Legislature is considering a bill that would impose stricter limits on the use and security of healthcare data. Sponsored by State Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, House Bill 1587 addresses security issues related to the migration of health records from paper to electronic format.
2/6/2008	Medical Breach Disclosure Law Will Be Influential	CSO Magazine	Katherine Walsh	The passage of AB 1298, the new medical data breach notification law in California, will have an effect similar to that of SB 1386, the state's landmark data breach notification law.
2/6/2008	Medical Breach Disclosure Law Will Be Influential	CSO Magazine	Katherine Walsh	The passage of AB 1298, the new medical data breach notification law in California, will have an effect similar to that of SB 1386, the state's landmark data breach notification law.
1/30/2008	Wife Of Google Co-Founder Launches Gene Sleuthing Service	Telegraph.co.uk	Felix Lowe	Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has launched a service that seeks to catalog the genetic code of its customers in order to provide information related to heritage, genealogy, and even disease risk profile.
1/30/2008	Wife Of Google Co-Founder Launches Gene Sleuthing Service	Telegraph.co.uk	Felix Lowe	Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has launched a service that seeks to catalog the genetic code of its customers in order to provide information related to heritage, genealogy, and even disease risk profile.
1/23/2008	Digital Health Records Increase Privacy Risk	Financial Post	Jim Middlemiss	As Canada's healthcare industry moves increasingly toward digital record keeping, the medical privacy of the country's citizens are being put at greater risk.
1/23/2008	Commissioner Cavoukian Backs Medical RFID	Globe and Mail		Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian has come out in support of the use of RFID in the healthcare industry and, along with tech firm HP, has published a guide to help healthcare professionals better understand the many uses and benefits of the technology.
1/23/2008	Digital Health Records Increase Privacy Risk	Financial Post	Jim Middlemiss	As Canada's healthcare industry moves increasingly toward digital record keeping, the medical privacy of the country's citizens are being put at greater risk.
1/23/2008	Commissioner Cavoukian Backs Medical RFID	Globe and Mail		Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian has come out in support of the use of RFID in the healthcare industry and, along with tech firm HP, has published a guide to help healthcare professionals better understand the many uses and benefits of the technology.
1/16/2008	Vermont Prescription Data Base "Goes Too Far"	Vermont Press Bureau	Daniel Barlow	A statewide database filled with information on every prescription filled in Vermont, created two years ago to help stop illegal drug prescriptions, potentially puts the medical privacy of Vermonters at risk, lawmakers are now saying.
1/16/2008	Vermont Prescription Data Base "Goes Too Far"	Vermont Press Bureau	Daniel Barlow	A statewide database filled with information on every prescription filled in Vermont, created two years ago to help stop illegal drug prescriptions, potentially puts the medical privacy of Vermonters at risk, lawmakers are now saying.
1/14/2008	E-Prescriptions Will Present Privacy Challenge This Year	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	An article in Healthcare IT News predicts that Congress this year will attempt to address e-prescriptions as part of a federal effort to digitize healthcare in America.
1/14/2008	E-Prescriptions Will Present Privacy Challenge This Year	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	An article in Healthcare IT News predicts that Congress this year will attempt to address e-prescriptions as part of a federal effort to digitize healthcare in America.
1/12/2008	Australia One Step Closer To National Health ID	ABC News		A new contract signed last week between Medicare and the National e-Health Transition Authority brings Australia one step closer to a national heathcare identification system.
1/12/2008	Australia One Step Closer To National Health ID	ABC News		A new contract signed last week between Medicare and the National e-Health Transition Authority brings Australia one step closer to a national heathcare identification system.
1/10/2008	BC Lawmakers Unaware Privacy Provision Would Hamper Research	The Vancouver Sun	Pamela Fayerman	Lawmakers are saying that they were unaware of the negative effects on healthcare research resulting from a 2004 amendment to British Columbia's provincial privacy law.
1/10/2008	BC Lawmakers Unaware Privacy Provision Would Hamper Research	The Vancouver Sun	Pamela Fayerman	Lawmakers are saying that they were unaware of the negative effects on healthcare research resulting from a 2004 amendment to British Columbia's provincial privacy law.
1/9/2008	Former Amgen Sales Reps Sue Over Dismissal	Associated Press	Linda A. Johnson	Pharmaceutical concern Amgen faces lawsuits from two former sales reps who claim they lost their jobs because they refused to participate in sales practices that violated patient privacy.
1/9/2008	Health Research Hampered By Privacy Laws	The Vancouver Sun	Pamela Fayerman	An amendment to the 2003 British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is hampering progress is a number of critical healthcare studies in the province.
1/9/2008	Former Amgen Sales Reps Sue Over Dismissal	Associated Press	Linda A. Johnson	Pharmaceutical concern Amgen faces lawsuits from two former sales reps who claim they lost their jobs because they refused to participate in sales practices that violated patient privacy.
1/9/2008	Health Research Hampered By Privacy Laws	The Vancouver Sun	Pamela Fayerman	An amendment to the 2003 British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is hampering progress is a number of critical healthcare studies in the province.
12/17/2007	Nonprofit Company Expands Effort To Launch Digital Medical Records	Australian IT	Jennifer Hewett	The National E-Health Transition Authority, a non-profit company, has been exploring the launch of e-medical records for the past 2 ½ years. However, an independent review of the company's efforts determined that the health and IT professionals did not consult broadly enough about its plans.
12/17/2007	Nonprofit Company Expands Effort To Launch Digital Medical Records	Australian IT	Jennifer Hewett	The National E-Health Transition Authority, a non-profit company, has been exploring the launch of e-medical records for the past 2 ½ years. However, an independent review of the company's efforts determined that the health and IT professionals did not consult broadly enough about its plans.
12/12/2007	Influential Federal Privacy Committee Proposes Massive Changes in HIPAA's Protections for Personal Health Information	Drug Benefit News		The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, the nation's top advisory board to the federal government on healthcare privacy, is recommending an overhaul in current laws and rules to bolster protections for personal health information.
12/12/2007	Influential Federal Privacy Committee Proposes Massive Changes in HIPAA's Protections for Personal Health Information	Drug Benefit News		The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, the nation's top advisory board to the federal government on healthcare privacy, is recommending an overhaul in current laws and rules to bolster protections for personal health information.
12/11/2007	Adoption law to be amended	Globe and Mail	Chinta Puxley	Amended legislation would prevent some adopted people in Ontario from getting access to basic information about their health history, according to advocates for adoptees.
12/11/2007	Adoption law to be amended	Globe and Mail	Chinta Puxley	Amended legislation would prevent some adopted people in Ontario from getting access to basic information about their health history, according to advocates for adoptees.
11/28/2007	An Interview With Dr. Deborah Peel	Government Health IT		Dr. Deborah Peel, Founder and Chair of Patient Privacy Rights, discusses in this webcast -- taken from an interview with GovernmentHealthIT -- why she believes the right of patients to control who sees their medical records information is vital to the adoption of health IT.
11/28/2007	An Interview With Dr. Deborah Peel	Government Health IT		Dr. Deborah Peel, Founder and Chair of Patient Privacy Rights, discusses in this webcast -- taken from an interview with GovernmentHealthIT -- why she believes the right of patients to control who sees their medical records information is vital to the adoption of health IT.
11/16/2007	Senator Seeks To Add Privacy Amendment To Health IT Bill	Government Executive.com	Aliya Sternstein	Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is pushing an amendment to a Senate Health IT bill that would give patients the right to prevent third-party access to their records. The amendment also would allow patients to opt out of any electronic system and set limits regarding who may access records.
11/16/2007	Senator Seeks To Add Privacy Amendment To Health IT Bill	Government Executive.com	Aliya Sternstein	Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is pushing an amendment to a Senate Health IT bill that would give patients the right to prevent third-party access to their records. The amendment also would allow patients to opt out of any electronic system and set limits regarding who may access records.
11/14/2007	HIPAA Experts Differ On Law's Impact On Patient Privacy	The Journal Times	David Steinkraus	More than 10 years after HIPAA's passage, experts continue to discuss and debate the law's impact and effectiveness.
11/14/2007	HIPAA Experts Differ On Law's Impact On Patient Privacy	The Journal Times	David Steinkraus	More than 10 years after HIPAA's passage, experts continue to discuss and debate the law's impact and effectiveness.
11/13/2007	Clinical Scientists: Privacy Law Impedes Research	Reuters	Julie Steenhuysen	A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that 70 percent of clinical scientists surveyed said HIPAA has made research more difficult. Furthermore, almost 40 percent "said HIPAA has added to the cost of research and half said it has slowed the pace of research,".
11/13/2007	Clinical Scientists: Privacy Law Impedes Research	Reuters	Julie Steenhuysen	A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that 70 percent of clinical scientists surveyed said HIPAA has made research more difficult. Furthermore, almost 40 percent "said HIPAA has added to the cost of research and half said it has slowed the pace of research,".
11/8/2007	Opinion: Hiding Behind HIPAA	Roanoake Times	Shanna Flowers	Shanna Flowers explores what she views as the extreme uses of HIPAA's privacy rules.
11/8/2007	Opinion: Hiding Behind HIPAA	Roanoake Times	Shanna Flowers	Shanna Flowers explores what she views as the extreme uses of HIPAA's privacy rules.
11/7/2007	Report: Privacy Issues Threaten Viability Of Health Information Exchanges	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	The American Health Information Management Association and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for health Information Technology released a report this week that concludes that state public-private health information exchanges are making strides, but privacy continues to hinder their success.
11/7/2007	Report: Privacy Issues Threaten Viability Of Health Information Exchanges	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	The American Health Information Management Association and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for health Information Technology released a report this week that concludes that state public-private health information exchanges are making strides, but privacy continues to hinder their success.
11/5/2007	Report: RHIOs Not The Answer To Advancing Healthcare Information Technology	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has issued a report on the effectiveness of Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), which concludes that the "strategy of building the network from the bottom up by establishing many RHIOs throughout the country is not working.'
11/5/2007	Report: RHIOs Not The Answer To Advancing Healthcare Information Technology	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has issued a report on the effectiveness of Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), which concludes that the "strategy of building the network from the bottom up by establishing many RHIOs throughout the country is not working.'
10/17/2007	Google unveils plans for online personal health records	ComputerWorld	Heather Havenstein	Following an announcement by Microsoft, Google Inc. is launching its own initiative to host online personal health records, according to Marissa Mayer, Google's Vice President of Search Products and User Experience.
10/11/2007	U.S. Health Dept. Picks Companies To test National Health Information Highway	Information Week	Marianne Kolbasuk McGee	The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $22.5 million in contracts to nine regional health information networks for the purpose of launching trial exchanges of health information.
10/10/2007	Clooney: Don't suspend Hospital Workers For Med. Info Leak	wcbstv.com		Hospital officials at Palisades Medical Center are investigating how the media got confidential information about the condition of actor George Clooney in the immediate aftermath of treatment for injuries sustained in a New Jersey motorcycle accident.
10/5/2007	Health records site raises privacy issue	Boston Globe	Associated Press	Privacy advocates are concerned about the confidentiality of medical records on a new Web site Microsoft launched to allow patients to manage their personal health and medical data.
8/24/2007	Perfect HIPPA security impossible, experts say	Information Security Magazine	Marcia Savage	Part 2 of Information Security Magazine's HIPAA series details the efforts of organizations as they have worked to achieve HIPAA security requirements.
8/24/2007	No good way to measure HIPAA compliance	Information Security Magazine	Marcia Savage	HIPAA security requirements took effect in 2005, which put in place 18 standards for protecting electronic personally identifiable healthcare information. However, measuring compliance is difficult because the regulations are vague and there has not been much enforcement, according to the first part of this two-part HIPAA compliance series.
8/23/2007	RTI Study Raises a Wide Array of Reactions	Modern Healthcare Online	Joseph Conn	RTI International, a not-for-profit research institute based in North Carolina, recently issued a 115-page report that recommends the inclusion of anti-fraud tools in electronic health records (EHR) systems as well as the proposed national health exchange network.
7/26/2007	New Bill Proposes 'Health Record Trusts' That Pay Doctors To Use E-Health Records	Information Week	Marianne Kolbasuk McGee	Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) introduced a measure earlier this month that attempts to promote the use of electronic health records by creating independent trusts to manage consumers' medical data and providing financial incentives for doctors to use them.
7/25/2007	Senators introduce healthcare IT privacy bill	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) have introduced a bill that proposes changes to the HIPAA privacy law intended to increase patient control over electronic health records.
7/18/2007	Kennedy bill faces opposition over future federal advisory panel	Healthcare IT News	Diana Manos	A bill that would create a new federal advisory panel on the exchange of healthcare information does not have the support of the Bush Administration.

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