The personal and medical information of 28,000 Beaumont Hospital Home Care patients was compromised when a nurse left a laptop containing the data in her unlocked car. Her car was stolen but fortunately the laptop has been recovered and none of the sensitive information seems to have been viewed. But in light of last week's massive HCA data loss and a Veterans Affairs loss back in May, many privacy rights activists are questioning how well the federal government is enforcing HIPAA, which when into effect in 2003. A Detroit News Op-Ed slams hospitals and health systems for their seemingly lax attitude toward patient privacy.
To read more about the data loss:
- read this article by the Detroit Free Press
- and see this Detroit News Op-Ed