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Time to become a security advocate

April 14, 2008 — 6:59am ET
Folks, please note, you're not going to open up FierceHealthIT and find that I'm arguing for hospitals to spend less time on HIPAA. While it's easy to argue the details in how it's implemented, I... Read more...

U.S. hospitals have security 'blind spot'

April 14, 2008 — 6:59am ET
A new study confirms what many health IT administrators already know--that hospitals aren't doing a great job when it comes to investing in security. The study, which was commissioned by risk... Read more...

Clinical IT leads to security neglect at hospitals

March 3, 2008 — 7:59am ET
This week's piece from Network World points to a troubling problem--that hospitals are in crosshairs these days when it comes to cyberattacks and other forms of black-hat hacking. Given the growing... Read more...

AHIMA demands better PHR privacy protections

June 24, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

PHRs are not electronic medical records, exactly--and as some people see it, that's exactly the problem. While EMRs enjoy the same HIPAA protection as paper records do, PHRs don't. AHIMA president Bryon Pickard told Congress that's just wrong. And even if laws in a specific state do target PHRs, when consumers and providers are in different states, the tougher state laws may not apply. As a result, AHIMA would like to see Congress enact uniform laws to cover the use or transmission of …

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A new focus on ID security

June 10, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

As the top story below reminds us, it doesn't take a sophisticated attack to expose critical patient data. In fact, in this case, something as simple as an unsecured Web server was to blame.

Unfortunately, …

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WA state hospital exposes patient info on Web

June 10, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

A Seattle-area community hospital admitted last week that it had allowed patient information--including Social Security numbers--to be exposed to Web searchers. Due to a security slip-up by a hospital contractor, data became publicly available for more than 500 patients treated at Edmonds, WA-based Stevens Hospital. The subcontractor had failed to secure one of its servers, creating a back door which made the patient data searchable by the public. The hospital is stressing that no …

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Promoting PHR use: Is it a good idea?

April 22, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

Over time, the American Health Information Management Association has thrown its weight behind the development of personal health records, calling them "a key element in the U.S. transformation to a safe, more efficient, consumer-driven healthcare system." But at least one professional critic, the founder of the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation, has taken exception to this stance, arguing that there are gaping holes in PHR …

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U of Pittsburgh patient data exposed

April 15, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is recovering this week from a public relations storm which blew up when it was discovered that patient-specific information was online and freely available. The data, which included information on 80 patients, was first posted online in 2005, when a faculty member made a presentation on integrating multimedia into medical records. As part of the presentation, the now ex-faculty member had posted screen shots of the e-radiology …

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National provider identifier deadline extended

April 8, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

Healthcare managers both in and outside of IT got a reprieve last week when CMS agreed to postpone the deadline by which all providers must get and use a national provider identifier number. Hospitals have largely gotten their NPIs, but physicians have not all gotten on board, which has slowed things down considerably, said George Arges, senior director of the health data management group at the American Hospital Association. The AHA had put in a request to CMS explaining the problem and …

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FL law would ban chip implants without consent

March 25, 2007 — 8:01pm ET

Ideally, patients will only have RFID chips implanted in them if they're on board with the idea. However, a Florida state Senator fears that if protections aren't put into place, patients could have such chips implanted against their will. To make sure this doesn't happen, Senator Bill Posey (R) has filed a bill that would prohibit chip implantation without prior approval. The bill, which some Florida legislators consider a bit, well, paranoid, has nonetheless won approval from the state …

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