In part 1 of my PHI breach story I mentioned that I’d keep an update running, specifically that I’d write an update “in a few days”. Well, that didn’t happen. Mainly because after I filled out my paperwork and send it in…nothing has happened. I suppose this is a good thing. But this article reminded [...]
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Most of the time when I read a story on a stolen laptop, it is just the singular topic – Hey genius, if you encrypted your laptop this wouldn’t be an issue. The latest story I’ve come across pulls pieces in from multiple issues that a medical practice needs to consider. Though the incident revolves [...]
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Just like in any profession, there is a desire by the government to have whistle-blowers. A whistle-blower makes the job of policing much easier for the government. The whistle-blower will get job protection (if they want to stay on) and typically a percentage of any fines. Remember, HIPAA fines can be huge! Let’s take a [...]
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Does anyone know the #1 reason for a PHI data breach? That’s right, a lost or stolen storage device that is not encrypted. Follow on question: what is the only Safe Harbor for a lost or stolen storage device? Encryption! So, the worst offender is an un-encrypted storage device, yet one of the easiest things [...]
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It is not unusual for me to rant here about the ridiculous level of recklessness the medical community has for our PHI. Specifically, the easiest thing to point out, as it happens all the time, is the “theft” (or loss) of a portable storage device. For those keeping score, a portable storage device is anything [...]
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