The 2,777 patients were tested for urinary tract infections between July and October 2010; the lost information included names, medical record numbers, and test results, but not social security numbers or medical histories, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press.
Meredith Phillips, Henry Ford's chief privacy officer, said there was no evidence the flash-drive data were misused.
This is the second patient data breach at the hospital in a year, the paper said. In September, a Henry Ford employee's laptop was stolen from an unlocked office. The computer contained unsecured information related to prostate services that patients received between 1997 and 2008.
The hospital told the US Department of Health and Human Services that the breach involved 3,700 patients.
Hospital employees face suspension or termination if they're involved in "situations in which personal health information is left unsecured on electronic devices such as computers, smart phones or flash drives," Henry Ford said.
Since October 2009, there have been nine patient data breaches at Michigan hosptials involving records of more than 115,000 patients, according to the paper.
Comments
Wendy says:
11 March 2011
Donations of, GTB Technologies Enterprise Data at Rest Scanners are currently underway to Non-Profit Cancer Centers in the United States. The Data at Rest Scanner is a Data Discovery tool that searches an enterprise network for HIPAA violations as well as PCI and PHI data. The system runs over the network and does not require an agent. It searches any file format on Windows and UNIX files-Shares and reports where violating files reside.
This donation is in memory of Leslie Cohen, a sister of one of the GTB founders. Leslie was diagnosed with Stage II cancer in the Spring of 2002 and unfortunately after a brutal fight, succumbed to the disease March 8, 2006, a few days shy of her 48th birthday. Leslie, as well as the entire GTB Technologies' organization have always been a supporter of various Cancer Research and Treatment causes, both before and after her diagnosis.
Earlier this month, news came out that the US Department of Health and Human Services started penalizing health care organizations for HIPAA privacy violations. So in order to help avoid any penalties and instead spend valuable funds on research and care, GTB Technologies is making this donation to help Cancer Centers with HIPAA compliance.
Any Non-Profit Cancer Center may request a free copy of the Data at Rest Scanner by emailing DARS@GTTB.COM. This donation includes all support and maintenance upgrades
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