Entries tagged with: Medical Record Privacy
17 result(s) displayed.
Presidential Commission Urges Privacy Protections for DNA Data
Noting the rapid advances in the use of genetic data, the report of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues recommended "a consistent floor of privacy protections covering whole genome sequence data regardless of how they were obtained....
EPIC Calls for Genetic Privacy Protections
EPIC submitted comments to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, urging the advisory panel to protect genetic privacy in large-scale human genome sequence data. The Commission requested comments pertaining to the "privacy of individuals, research subjects, patients,...
Federal Agency Settles Health Privacy Case with Blue Cross for $1.5 Million
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a settlement with Blue Cross Blue Shield after the company’s inadequate security measures allowed 57 unencrypted hard drives containing private health information to be stolen from a facility in Tennessee. The agency...
Institute of Medicine: "To Improve Patient Safety, Health Information Technology Needs Better Oversight, Accountability"
According to a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, software errors and defects in electronic health records pose threats to patient safety, and can even result in death. To combat the problem, the Institute recommends the establishment of an...
Supreme Court Strikes Down Prescription Privacy Law
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down Vermont's prescription privacy law. IMS Health, Inc. v. Sorrell held that the Vermont statute, which bars disclosure of prescription data for marketing purposes, violates data mining firms' free speech rights. Vermont...
Cignet Fined 4.3 Million for Privacy Violations
The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that Cignet Health violated the privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The agency fined Cignet 4.3 million for denying patients access to their medical records...
Federal Appeals Court Overturns Vermont Medical Privacy Law
The Second Circuit Court of appeals has ruled that a Vermont privacy law violates the First Amendment. The law regulated data mining companies that sell or use doctors' prescribing records containing personal information on patients. EPIC, and several privacy technology...
Agency Reconsiders Medical Breach Notification Rule
The Department of Health and Human Services has withdrawn its previously issued interim medical privacy rule after facing substantial criticism from privacy advocates. The old rules required that health-care providers and insurers report privacy breaches to patients only if the...
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Maine Prescription Privacy Law
The First Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a Maine law that bans the sale of prescriber-identifiable prescription drug data for marketing purposes. Data mining companies had challenged the law, claiming that the privacy measure violated their free speech rights,...
EPIC Urges Appeals Court to Protect Prescription Data
EPIC filed a friend of the court brief in the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today, urging the judges to uphold a Vermont law that regulates companies that sell or use prescriber-identifiable data for marketing. Several data-mining companies...
Supreme Court Lets Stand New Hampshire Prescription Privacy Law
The Supreme Court refused to hear a challange to the Prescription Confidentiality Act, which prohibits the sale of prescription information. The First Circuit had upheld the ban on the sale of such information. EPIC and 16 experts in privacy and...
EPIC Submits Comments on Health Breach Notification to the FTC
The Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule requiring notification when the security of medical information is compromised. EPIC recommends that all entities handling health records be subject to standard security; tightening exemptions for de-identified data, enhancing media notification of health...
American Recovery Act Includes Strong Medical Information Safeguards
President Obama signed the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, which includes comprehensive safeguards for medical information. The Act prohibits the unauthorized sale of medical records and provides exceptions for research, public health and treatment. The Act also limits marketing, requires...
National Academies Report Calls for New Approach to Medical Privacy
As the Congress considers establishing a national network for electronic health records, a report from the Institute of Medicine recommends a new approach to medical record privacy. "Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research" finds that...
House Economic Recovery Bill Includes Privacy Safeguards for Medical Information
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, adopted by the House this week, includes strong privacy provisions ("Subtitle D - Privacy") for the proposed medical health network. Among the key provisions: a ban on the sale of health information,...
Medical Privacy Legislation Moves Forward in Congress
On Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved Economic Recovery legislation that includes provisions for the adoption of health information technology and establishes standards for interoperability and privacy. Patient Privacy Rights is leading a coalition effort to establish...
EPIC, Patient Advocates Urge Congress to "ACT" on Privacy
EPIC and more than 25 members of the Coalition for Patient Privacy at a news conference today in Washington, DC urged Congress to include critical privacy safeguards for the medical record network that may be included in the economic stimulus...
