HIPAA | ResearchBuzz: Firehose

September 16, 2023

FTC: Updated FTC-HHS publication outlines privacy and security laws and rules that impact consumer health data

FTC: Updated FTC-HHS publication outlines privacy and security laws and rules that impact consumer health data. “Ever wondered about the intersection of some of the health privacy and security-related laws and rules enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services? You’re not alone, which is why FTC and HHS have teamed up to update a joint publication – Collecting, Using, or Sharing Consumer Health Information? Look to HIPAA, the FTC Act, and the Health Breach Notification Rule – that helps businesses learn more about their legal obligations.”

September 25, 2022

Washington Post: Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it.

Washington Post: Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it.. “In a nation with millions of uninsured families and a shortage of health professionals, many of us turn to health-care apps and websites for accessible information or even potential treatment. But when you fire up a symptom-checker or digital therapy app, you might be unknowingly sharing your concerns with more than just the app maker.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

July 8, 2022

ProPublica: Federal Patient Privacy Law Does Not Cover Most Period-Tracking Apps

ProPublica: Federal Patient Privacy Law Does Not Cover Most Period-Tracking Apps. “Following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, advocates for privacy and reproductive health have expressed fears that data from period-tracking apps could be used to find people who’ve had abortions. They have a point. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal patient privacy law known as HIPAA, does not apply to most apps that track menstrual cycles, just as it doesn’t apply to many health care apps and at-home test kits.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

April 5, 2018

CNBC: Facebook sent a doctor on a secret mission to ask hospitals to share patient data

CNBC: Facebook sent a doctor on a secret mission to ask hospitals to share patient data. “Facebook has asked several major U.S. hospitals to share anonymized data about their patients, such as illnesses and prescription info, for a proposed research project. Facebook was intending to match it up with user data it had collected, and help the hospitals figure out which patients might need special care or treatment.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0

October 10, 2017

MacKeeper Security: Patient Home Monitoring Service Leaks Private Medical Data Online

MacKeeper Security: Patient Home Monitoring Service Leaks Private Medical Data Online. “Kromtech Security Researchers have discovered another publically accessible Amazon S3 repository. This time it contained medical data in 316,363 PDF reports in the form of weekly blood test results. Many of these were multiple reports on individual patients. It appears that each patient had weekly test results totaling around 20 files each. That would still be an estimated 150,000+ people affected by the leak. The database appears to be connected to a ‘Patient Home Monitoring’ company that provides a in-home testing program that is aimed at improving clinical patient outcomes, and saving patients from weekly office visits.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

July 30, 2016

Editorial- HIPAA For The Social Media Generation: Teaching Privacy In Med Schools

Based on the news stories I’ve seen, sadly, this is very needed: HIPAA For The Social Media Generation: Teaching Privacy In Med Schools. “Many medical students are required to participate in HIPAA training programs, but medical schools today face a unique set of challenges. That’s because the current generation of medical students was raised online. Their phones are always on hand and their understanding of privacy may vary from what instructors and future employers will expect. In response, medical schools need to update and underscore the importance of HIPAA compliance education in the classroom.”

Research & Opinion 0

July 23, 2016

Law Enforcement: Paramedics Have “Selfies War,” Include Unconscious Patients

Two paramedics about whom I am way too angry to describe without melting my keyboard apparently had a “selfies war” featuring their patients. Mostly non-consensually. “Investigators initially identified a total of 41 patients. Two of whom have since died. Three of the photos appear consensual. Out of the remaining patients, 19 were female, and 17 were male. One of those victims was an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy. Five were homeless, the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

May 1, 2016

Ooopsie: ADA Apparently Mailed Malware To Its Members

Of course, it’s kind of hard to avoid malware if your own professional association is mailing it to you. “The American Dental Association (ADA) says it may have inadvertently mailed malware-laced USB thumb drives to thousands of dental offices nationwide. The problem first came to light in a post on the DSL Reports Security Forum. DSLR member ‘Mike’ from Pittsburgh got curious about the integrity of a USB drive that the ADA mailed to members to share updated ‘dental procedure codes’ — codes that dental offices use to track procedures for billing and insurance purposes.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

December 31, 2015

Search Engine for HIPAA Violations

ProPublica has set up a search engine for HIPAA violations. “Investigative reports with lists and tables can be daunting to wade through, so ProPublica built a simple app: a kind of search engine that allows people to check on their health care providers. Named HIPAA Helper, the tool features a search bar that accepts not only names of health care providers (such as big offenders Kaiser, Quest, and Walgreens), but keywords describing the types of offenses, such as ‘ex-boyfriend’ or ‘organ donor.’”

Security & Legal Issues 0

FTC: Updated FTC-HHS publication outlines privacy and security laws and rules that impact consumer health data

Washington Post: Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it.

ProPublica: Federal Patient Privacy Law Does Not Cover Most Period-Tracking Apps

MacKeeper Security: Patient Home Monitoring Service Leaks Private Medical Data Online

Law Enforcement: Paramedics Have “Selfies War,” Include Unconscious Patients

Ooopsie: ADA Apparently Mailed Malware To Its Members

Search Engine for HIPAA Violations

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