Just Plain Ruff Posted July 28, 2010 Posted July 28, 2010 If you had any test, procedure, surgery or anything done with this hospital I would definately alert the credit bureaus about possible theft of personal and credit information. Just where does 800K patient records go? http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Massachusetts-Hospital-Reports-800000-Personal-Records-Missing-638660/?kc=EWKNLHCR07282010 This inexcusable. Both parties are at fault but it sounds like the data company really screwed up. What is your EMS Agency doing to protect the privacy and personal medical information as well as the billing information of those patients you transport? Is your computer system secure? Do you still write reports on paper? What happens to that report when it is finished and submitted? Do you allow the faxing of EMS records to unsecure faxes? Has our ability to protect patients information not kept up with the requirements to do so? Is technology lagging behind the requirements. One other question - Why did it take 4 months to alert the public. The damage may have already been done. Shouldn't we hold the facilities accountable for delaying the notification of those affected?
speedygodzilla Posted July 28, 2010 Posted July 28, 2010 What is your EMS Agency doing to protect the privacy and personal medical information as well as the billing information of those patients you transport? Is your computer system secure? Do you still write reports on paper? What happens to that report when it is finished and submitted? Do you allow the faxing of EMS records to unsecure faxes? Has our ability to protect patients information not kept up with the requirements to do so? Is technology lagging behind the requirements. One other question - Why did it take 4 months to alert the public. The damage may have already been done. Shouldn't we hold the facilities accountable for delaying the notification of those affected? I am not specifically sure what my service is doing to protect patients info, besides hopefully following the routine HIPPA. No computer system is "secure." There will always be hackers that find a way in. We do still use paper charting but it later gets scanned into a computer for storing. I personally don't know what happens with the PCR after I turn it in. I would be interested in following the records path so that I understand to whole system better. Not sure of our faxing policy as I don't deal with that. I do know that our dispatch fax is consider a secure fax line. I think technology is lacking secure pravicy at least in the public eye. How many times do we hear stories like this. It makes me beleive it is not if your identity gets stolden, but when. 4 months does seem like a long time. I wonder how long they really knew about the problem. I think we should hold the facilities accountable but at the same time want to know exactly what went wrong. Somebody was not paying attention and now others may pay the price. On a side note I don't live any where near Massachusetts so this does not personally effect me. But at the same time I remember the fourm about copy machines talking about how they store everything that is copied in a harddrive! It is not if but when!
Richard B the EMT Posted July 28, 2010 Posted July 28, 2010 South Shore said it arranged for the files to be destroyed because they were in a file format it no longer uses. According to the hospital, the files may contain personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, data on diagnoses and treatment, and bank account and credit-card information. The hospital has been in contact with the Massachusetts' Attorney General's office and Department of Public Health, as well as with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on this matter, but wouldn't disclose the name of the data-management company or what type of storage device was involved. If drivers licenses of the deceased start showing up, better add Homeland Security Administration to the list of notifications. It sounds to me to be a terrorist's wet dream.
FireMedic65 Posted July 29, 2010 Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) You mean to tell me "rm -rf /bin/etc/src/records" isn't the proper command to save them to backup? Edited July 29, 2010 by FireMedic65
uglyEMT Posted July 29, 2010 Posted July 29, 2010 wow that really sucks. Guess my squads old paper charting only isnt so bad after all. We keep them in a fireproof safe on premises for the required 5 years, then we personally shred them ourselves and the paper usually is used as kindling for our BBQ if not it is desposed of in the recycling center by 2 members. Old school I know but it works LOL
Recommended Posts