Boston Globe Finds Patient Records
At a trash dump, that is:
Thousands of patient health records, some containing Social Security numbers and sensitive medical diagnoses, ended up in a pile at a public dump.
The unshredded records included pathology reports with patients’ names, addresses, and results of breast, bone and skin cancer tests, as well as the results of lab work following miscarriages.
So much for privacy.
This is outrageous!
Is this a warning in terms of things to come for the rest of the country?
I agree with all of the above and add the word “disgusting.” In general, the health care system is worse thatn the Depatment of Motor Vehicles. At least when they throw our records away they probably manage to get them inside the dumpster.
How much are HIPAA privacy violations?
I would like to think that people who work in the department that stores patient records would be the knowledgeable about the proper way to dispose of records on paper. The idea that somebody charged with storing patient records would assume throwing them in a dumpster is appropriate just boggles the mind.