For the first half of 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights has reported 119 instances of medical record breaches which have put at risk some 5 million patients' healthcare information, says Cathy Leahy, CEO of Datamed Health Informatics based in Bellingham, Wash. in a recent Hospital Impact posting.
The breaches span from coast to coast. Some of the most egregious offenders are health insurance companies and state agencies. Breaches include intentional hacking, improper disposal, unauthorized access and phishing.
So what did HHS do about these breaches? Not much. They seemed satisfied that the offenders promised to beef up their security practices. Not good enough, HHS, whoever you are. This is whistling past the graveyard at its finest. Hospital Impact