Governor Phil Murphy and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of COVID-19 exposure notification mobile apps in their respective states that will serve as crucial tools to supplement the effort to trace and contact individuals subject to a COVID exposure.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query privacy. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query privacy. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Privacy: Court Mandates Protective Order for Workers' Compensation Discovery
Plaintiff in mesothelioma case sought production of defendant's (Union Carbide Corp) employees' workers' compensation claim records. The corporate defendant, Union Carbide Corp) sought to restrict access and limit dissemination of the records of the workers' compensation matters sought through discovery.
Confidentiality is a two sided sword. Historically asbestos litigation had its genesis in workers' compensation claims. In this instance the Corporate Defendant sought the utilization of privacy restrictions as a defense.
Confidentiality is a two sided sword. Historically asbestos litigation had its genesis in workers' compensation claims. In this instance the Corporate Defendant sought the utilization of privacy restrictions as a defense.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Doctors and hospitals’ use of health IT more than doubles since 2012
More than half of America’s doctors have adopted electronic health records
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that more than half of all doctors and other eligible providers have received Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments for adopting or meaningfully using electronic health records (EHRs).
HHS has met and exceeded its goal for 50 percent of doctor offices and 80 percent of eligible hospitals to have EHRs by the end of 2013.
Since the Obama administration started encouraging providers to adopt EHRs, usage has increased dramatically. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2012, the percent of physicians using an advanced EHR system was just 17 percent in 2008. Today, more than 50 percent of eligible professionals (mostly physicians) have demonstrated meaningful use and received an incentive payment. For hospitals, just nine percent had adopted EHRs in 2008, but today, more than 80 percent have demonstrated meaningful use of EHRs.
“We have reached a tipping point in adoption of electronic health records,” said Secretary Sebelius. “More than half of eligible professionals and 80 percent of eligible hospitals have adopted these systems, which are critical to modernizing our health care system. Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”
The Obama administration has encouraged the adoption of health IT starting with the passage of the Recovery Act in 2009 because it is an integral element of health care quality and efficiency improvements. Doctors, hospitals, and other eligible providers that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health records receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Part of the Recovery Act, these programs began in 2011 and are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology.
Adoption of EHRs is also critical to the broader health care improvement efforts that have started as a result of the Affordable Care Act. These efforts – improving care coordination, reducing duplicative tests and procedures, and rewarding hospitals for keeping patients healthier – all made possible by widespread use of EHRs. Health IT systems give doctors, hospitals, and other providers the ability to better coordinate care and reduce errors and readmissions that can cost more money and leave patients less healthy. In turn, efforts to improve care coordination and efficiency create further incentive for providers to adopt health IT.
As of the end of April 2013:
- More than 291,000 eligible professionals and over 3,800 eligible hospitals have received incentive payments from the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
- Approximately 80 percent of all eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals in the U.S. have received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or meaningfully using an EHR.
- More than half of physicians and other eligible professionals in the U.S. have received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or meaningfully using an EHR.
For more information about the Administration’s efforts to promote implementation, adoption and meaningful use of EHRs and health IT systems, please visit: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms and http://www.healthit.gov.
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For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses. Click here now to submit a case inquiry.
Read more about "Medical Records" and workers' compensation
Aug 23, 2011
The lack privacy of medical records in workers' compensation claims has perpetually been a huge concern for workers since Congress ignored requests to protect their dissemination. A recent disclosure in California that the ...
May 16, 2013
The lack privacy of medical records in workers' compensation claims has perpetually been a huge concern for workers since Congress ignored requests to protect their dissemination. A recent disclosure in California that the .
Oct 04, 2011
The Need to Incorporate Occupational Histories Into Electronic Medical Records. Each year in the United States, more than 4,000 occupational fatalities and more than 3 million occupational injuries occur along with more ...
Mar 11, 2013
They can pour over your medical records, pre- and post-injury, looking for any piece of evidence to deny your claim. They can send your file to lawyers who review medical records and recorded statements to potentially attack ...
Friday, December 6, 2013
Keeping privacy in focus
Confidentiality has been the hallmark of Workers' Compensation since the inception of the program. Has been challenged federally through the portability act concerning the privacy of medical records. All that reach was bad enough, a data breach from and a governmental site is even worse. It is becoming more than obvious, but the weak financial infrastructure, of the patchwork of worker's Compensation systems for the country are creating serious challenges. Instead of attempting to run 50 different programs throughout the country, it is probably A good idea to start looking inward, and establishing a single solid system that can meet the needs required to run A multibillion-dollar benefit system the rep country and also maintain the confidentiality and privacy that the parties participating in it require. Today's post shared from therepublic.com
Hackers gained access to the personal information of about 26,000 Pennsylvanians who use debit cards to receive jobless and workers' compensation benefits, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department said Thursday. The incident was part of a wider security breach affecting 465,000 holders of JPMorgan Chase & Co. prepaid cash cards nationwide. The breach affects only cardholders who used the JPMorgan Chase UCard Center website between mid-July and mid-September, the Treasury Department said. Michael Fusco, a spokesman for JPMorgan, said the bank found no evidence any information was used improperly. JPMorgan first contacted the Pennsylvania Treasury Department on Tuesday, agency spokesman Gary Tuma said. JPMorgan has referred the matter to law enforcement and would not explain details of how the breach occurred, the Treasury Department said. The Pennsylvania agency wants details from JPMorgan Chase about the bank's response to the breach, including an explanation for any delay in notifying it and the additional measures it will undertake to protect against a recurrence. The department said most of the personal information that might have been viewed includes card numbers, dates of birth, user IDs, email addresses. Information on external bank accounts might have been exposed, as well, if a cardholder completed a transaction to it, the department said. Cardholders are being contacted by letter with instructions and are being urged by JPMorgan Chase in the meantime to... |
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Will GPS "Dots" Change Our Privacy Standards in Workers Compensation
As Global Positioning Systems (GPS) expand and integrate with the Internet, the applications for the invasion of privacy seem endless in workers' compensation. GPS "dots" can be applied to employees and/or equipment, to delineate deviation from the course of employment, temporary disability non-work status and treatment compliance.
After listening to the TED Radio Talk this week on NPR, where Todd Humphrey's describes possibilities to of using GPS "dots," one wonders how much privacy an injured employee will be required to surrender because of an accident at work.
Click here to listen to: TED Radio Hour - Predicting the Future
After listening to the TED Radio Talk this week on NPR, where Todd Humphrey's describes possibilities to of using GPS "dots," one wonders how much privacy an injured employee will be required to surrender because of an accident at work.
Click here to listen to: TED Radio Hour - Predicting the Future
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
The proposed FACT Act delays compensation for asbestos victims, puts privacy at risk
Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from American Association for Justice CEO Linda Lipsen on the introduction of the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“With nearly 10,000 Americans suffocating every year from horrific asbestos diseases like mesothelioma, Congress should be focused on ensuring justice for the victims and protecting the public health and safety. Instead, asbestos corporations and the U.S Chamber of Commerce have orchestrated a calculated campaign to delay and deny justice for dying asbestos victims.
“The reintroduction of the FACT Act is a reminder of the lengths asbestos corporations will go to evade being held accountable. It is offensive that the same corporations that profited from hiding the dangers of asbestos would now turn to Congress to force the public release of asbestos victims' personal information, delaying compensation and putting their privacy at risk.”
Asbestos Victims & Asbestos Trusts on H.R. 526:
H.R. 526 is a massive intrusion on the privacy of asbestos victims and their families
In a May 20, 2013 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, asbestos victims stated:
“The FACT Act forces the asbestos trust funds to reveal on a public database personally-identifiable information about asbestos victims and their families. This would include private work history, asbestos exposure information, the last four digits of their social security numbers, and even the personal information of children who were exposed at an early age. This is offensive. The information on this public registry could be used to deny employment, credit, and health, life, and disability insurance. We are also concerned that victims would be more vulnerable to identity thieves, con men, and other types of predators.”
H.R. 526 will lead to higher costs for asbestos trusts and compensation delays for asbestos victims
In a November 8, 2013 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, asbestos trusts stated:
“The bill does not, as its proponents claim, protect either the trusts or their beneficiaries. Rather, the bill merely changes the rules in the tort system so as to impose increased costs on the trusts' claimants. The litigation advantage that this bill provides to solvent asbestos defendants is its only practical purpose. … the trusts believe that the bill will unduly and unnecessarily increase the trusts' administrative burdens and will inevitably lead to higher non-reimbursable costs and delays in the processing of claims and payment to holders of asbestos claims. Such a bill does not protect the trusts or their beneficiaries; it burdens them.”
“With nearly 10,000 Americans suffocating every year from horrific asbestos diseases like mesothelioma, Congress should be focused on ensuring justice for the victims and protecting the public health and safety. Instead, asbestos corporations and the U.S Chamber of Commerce have orchestrated a calculated campaign to delay and deny justice for dying asbestos victims.
“The reintroduction of the FACT Act is a reminder of the lengths asbestos corporations will go to evade being held accountable. It is offensive that the same corporations that profited from hiding the dangers of asbestos would now turn to Congress to force the public release of asbestos victims' personal information, delaying compensation and putting their privacy at risk.”
Asbestos Victims & Asbestos Trusts on H.R. 526:
H.R. 526 is a massive intrusion on the privacy of asbestos victims and their families
In a May 20, 2013 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, asbestos victims stated:
“The FACT Act forces the asbestos trust funds to reveal on a public database personally-identifiable information about asbestos victims and their families. This would include private work history, asbestos exposure information, the last four digits of their social security numbers, and even the personal information of children who were exposed at an early age. This is offensive. The information on this public registry could be used to deny employment, credit, and health, life, and disability insurance. We are also concerned that victims would be more vulnerable to identity thieves, con men, and other types of predators.”
H.R. 526 will lead to higher costs for asbestos trusts and compensation delays for asbestos victims
In a November 8, 2013 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, asbestos trusts stated:
“The bill does not, as its proponents claim, protect either the trusts or their beneficiaries. Rather, the bill merely changes the rules in the tort system so as to impose increased costs on the trusts' claimants. The litigation advantage that this bill provides to solvent asbestos defendants is its only practical purpose. … the trusts believe that the bill will unduly and unnecessarily increase the trusts' administrative burdens and will inevitably lead to higher non-reimbursable costs and delays in the processing of claims and payment to holders of asbestos claims. Such a bill does not protect the trusts or their beneficiaries; it burdens them.”
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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson-Reuters). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Why Injured Workers Should Deactivate Their Social Media Accounts
Your private photos could be used against you by insurance companies.
Today's post comes from guest author Nathan Reckman from Paul McAndrew Law Firm.
The Commission denied further benefits in part based on pictures obtained from Zack’s MySpace and Facebook pages.For example, Zack Clement suffered a hernia when a refrigerator fell on him while he was working at a warehouse in Arkansas. After undergoing three surgeries and receiving work comp benefits for a year, Zack took his case back to the Arkansas Compensation Commission to get an extension of his benefits. The Commission denied further benefits in part based on pictures obtained from Zack’s MySpace and Facebook pages. The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld the Commission’s decision, noting Zack’s claims of excruciating pain were inconsistent with the pictures of Zack drinking and partying.
In Iowa, the Workers’ Compensation Commission has also relied on Facebook posts to deny an injured worker benefits. Jody McCarthy had a debilitating back condition that she claimed was aggravated by her work. The deputy commissioner noted that
Thursday, May 28, 2015
In the name of privacy...
After the massive US IRS data breach announcement this week, CMS has posted that it is establishing a more secure system for access to Medicare Secondary Payer Information. This is pretty consistent with President Obama's announcement to take Social Security Numbers off of Medicare Cards.
The real issue is that while workers' compensation records are supposedly confidential in State systems, the Federal government has consistently neglected to insure that privacy whether be: medical records under HIPPA; by integration of state's motor vehicle or workers' compensation records utilizing Social Security Numbers, or by Medicare Secondary Payer Act electronic data systems.
Additionally, the Federal government will probably be mandating the reporting workers' compensation payment information, in Federal Income Returns shortly. The batting record of the IRS this week on privacy has been dismal.
Time will only tell whether workers' compensation data can actually be shielded from intruders.
CMS announced today:
"As part of the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be implementing optional MFA services on the MSPRP. MFA is the use of two or more different authentication factors to verify the identity of an end user. Verified users will have access to view unmasked claim data on the Portal.
"Non debtors will still need to have a Verified Proof of Representation or Consent to Release authorization to perform actions on cases. Please note that MFA and the associated identity proofing process will be optional to portal users. Portal users may continue to use the portal without going through the MFA process but will not have the benefit of viewing un-masked data.
"MFA is scheduled to be available beginning on July 13, 2015. Updated user guides and training materials will be available on CMS.gov and within the portal upon implementation.
The real issue is that while workers' compensation records are supposedly confidential in State systems, the Federal government has consistently neglected to insure that privacy whether be: medical records under HIPPA; by integration of state's motor vehicle or workers' compensation records utilizing Social Security Numbers, or by Medicare Secondary Payer Act electronic data systems.
Additionally, the Federal government will probably be mandating the reporting workers' compensation payment information, in Federal Income Returns shortly. The batting record of the IRS this week on privacy has been dismal.
Time will only tell whether workers' compensation data can actually be shielded from intruders.
CMS announced today:
"As part of the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be implementing optional MFA services on the MSPRP. MFA is the use of two or more different authentication factors to verify the identity of an end user. Verified users will have access to view unmasked claim data on the Portal.
"Non debtors will still need to have a Verified Proof of Representation or Consent to Release authorization to perform actions on cases. Please note that MFA and the associated identity proofing process will be optional to portal users. Portal users may continue to use the portal without going through the MFA process but will not have the benefit of viewing un-masked data.
"MFA is scheduled to be available beginning on July 13, 2015. Updated user guides and training materials will be available on CMS.gov and within the portal upon implementation.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Privacy, Clients and Social Media Discussion
Social networking has become a popular topic within the workers’ comp community. In this edition of Workers’ Comp Matters, host Attorney Alan S. Pierce, welcomes Attorney Jon L. Gelman, to take a look a social networking in the workers’ comp world. Alan and Jon discuss privacy and their clients, client responsibility when it comes to putting up information on social media sites and how social networking can be used as a portal to monitor clients.
Listen - Page URL: http://legaltalknetwork.com/
Listen - MP3 Link: http://legaltalkmedia.com/
Monday, July 7, 2014
Swear Off Social Media, for Good or Just for Now
 |
| Social Media Landscape (Photo credit: fredcavazza) |
| If you have a pending workers' compensation claim many believe that you should be off social media entirely since employers and their insurance companies mne the data posted to defend their claims. Others are finalizing realizing that social media sites are not their friend and giving away personal data freely is a very bad thing. I agree, that leaving social media sites generally should be encouraged for personal privacy reasons. Do you want "data brokers" to have your personal information and market it? One should consider getting off social media, the faster the better. It is a tedious process. In today's post by Molly Wood of the NY Times, techniques are explained how to get off social media. Social media can be a harmless and easy way to keep track of friends, family and news. It can also be addictive and invasive and produce an archive of bad behavior that can damage relationships or make it hard to get a new job. And, of course, there are privacy worries compounded by a controversial Facebook experiment unearthed recently that turned unwitting users into emotionally manipulated guinea pigs. That last one might prompt some people to leave Facebook permanently. Or not — it wasn’t exactly the first time Facebook has done something that made some users swear off the service. So is quitting social media the new thing in social media? That’s hard to say. But if you are planning to go dark, there are plenty of ways to do it. Typically, people deactivate their Facebook accounts rather than completely deleting them — a bit like a couple taking a “break” rather than breaking... |
Monday, December 17, 2012
Slow Recovery Affects Workers' Compensation Benefits and Costs
Today's post comes from guest author Kit Case from Causey Law Firm.
A Press Release by the National Academy of Social InsuranceWASHINGTON, DC - Workers' compensation benefits declined to $57.5 billion in 2010 according to a report released today by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). The drop in workers' compensation benefits was largely due to a 2.1 percent drop in medical benefits for injured workers. Employers' costs for workers' compensation also fell by 2.7 percent in 2010. As a share of covered wages, employers' costs in 2010 were the lowest in the last three decades.
"As a share of covered wages, employers' costs in 2010 were the lowest in the last three decades."
"Employers' costs as a percent of payroll declined in 43 jurisdictions," said John F. Burton, Jr., chair of the study panel that oversees the report. "This decline is probably due to the slow pace of the recovery, with many jurisdictions still experiencing relatively high unemployment rates."
| Workers' Compensation Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 2010 | ||
| Total |
2010
|
Change Since 2009 (%)
|
| Covered workers (in thousands) |
124,454
|
-0.3%
|
| Covered wages (in billions) |
$5,820
|
2.6%
|
| Benefits paid (in billions) |
$57.5
|
-0.7%
|
| Medical benefits |
$28.1
|
-2.1%
|
| Cash benefits |
$29.5
|
0.7%
|
| Employer costs (in billions) |
$71.3
|
-2.7%
|
| Per $100 of Covered Wages |
2010
|
Change Since 2009 ($)
|
| Benefits paid |
$0.99
|
-$0.03
|
| Medical benefits |
$0.48
|
-$0.03
|
| Cash benefits |
$0.51
|
-$0.01
|
| Employers' costs |
$1.23
|
-$0.06
|
| Source: National Academy of Social Insurance, 2012. | ||
The new report, Workers' Compensation: Benefits, Coverage and Costs, 2010, is the fifteenth in the series that provides the only comprehensive data on workers' compensation benefits for the nation, the states, the District of Columbia, and federal programs.
"This report represents the first time the Academy has released employers' costs by state."
This report represents the first time the Academy has released employers' costs by state. For a table showing employers' costs for all fifty states and the District of Columbia, refer to Table 12 (page 34).
Most states reported a decrease in the number of workers covered but an increase in covered wages between 2009 and 2010. During the same period, the total amount of benefits paid to injured workers declined in 26 jurisdictions and increased in 25. As a share of payroll, benefits paid to injured workers fell by three cents to $0.99 per $100 of payroll in the nation.
The share of medical benefits for workers' compensation has increased substantially over the last 40 years. During the 1970s medical benefits nationally accounted for 30 percent of total benefits, whereas in 2010 the share of benefits paid for medical care was almost 50 percent. Experts attribute this trend to the rising cost of health care.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Genetics and Workers' Compensation Claims
Genetic predisposition to occupational illness and disease presents a complex issue in workers’ compensation claims and health technology assessment. New methods now permit the identification of individuals who have risk factors establishing a greater propensity for disabling medical conditions.
The challenge of how to use this evidence in the workplace, to create both a safer work environment, while maintaining the privacy of the existence of the workers’ genetic propensity is an on going challenge. Additionally, genetic evidence becomes increasingly important to establish pre-existing and co-existing medical conditions that might reduce or bar recovery in claims for benefits under workers’ compensation acts.
Testimony offered at trial has effective defeated claims. Evidence has been effective presented to defeat occupational claims, A defense expert testified,"....that studies show almost conclusively that no occupation causes a degenerative disc. It's familial. It's genetic. It has to do with how the DNA forms the disc in embryonic development.’” Allgood v. Parsons Trucking Co., 148 N. C.App. 405 (N.C.App. (2002).
A delicate balance exists between, the ethical, moral and legal use of this evidence. The appropriate use of this information by an employers in assessing risks and benefits in the workplace is challenging. Many tasks at work now include risk factors of a carcinogenic, mutagenic, and/or genotoxic nature.
NIOSH ‘s recently published report, Genetics in the Workplace: Implications for Occupational Safety and Health, addresses balancing some of aspects of these issues while focussing on the paramount issue of safety in the workplace. “The use of genetic information in occupational safety and health research requires careful attention because of the real or perceived opportunities for the misuse of genetic information. Society in general and workers in particular have concerns that discrimination and lack of opportunity will result from the inappropriate use of genetic information [MacDonald and Williams-Jones 2002; Maltby 2000]. While only sparse or anecdotal information supports this contention, a wide range of workers, legislators, scientists, and public health researchers have concern that such discrimination could occur. Thus, GINA and other regulations were passed to prevent the potential misuse and abuse of genetic information in the workplace. Examples of safeguards include rules and practices for maintaining privacy and confidentiality, prohibition of discrimination, and support of a worker’s right of self- determination (autonomy) with regard to genetic information.”
Click here to read more about occupational illness and genetics.
Click here to read more about occupational illness and genetics.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
H.R. 982 is anti-victim, anti-veteran and anti-privacy
My husband, Alan, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2003. We had never heard of the asbestos-caused cancer, mesothelioma, and shortly learned it was incurable.
Alan chose to have a radical surgery which removed a rib and his left lung, stripped off his pericardium from his lungs and surgically replaced his diaphragm – all in hopes of more time with us. In 2005, the cancer came back on his remaining lung. Alan felt like he was breathing through a pinched straw, every breath, every minute, every day. When his oxygen levels became critically low, he was tethered to supplemental oxygen. He fought a hard battle with chemotherapy for nearly a year. In 2006, Alan took his last breaths with our then 13-year-old daughter and me by his side. Alan paid the ultimate price for his job – his life. Our daughter was only ten years old when we began our arduous family battle to fight mesothelioma and work with Congress to ban asbestos. Today I fight on behalf of Alan and those who have been exposed, are suffering, or have been silenced by asbestos. I can tell you that the FACT Act (H.R. 982) is just another special interest bill. Sick and dying patients suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases and their family don't have the time and money to endure one more bureaucratic hurdle that delays compensation, denies justice and puts asbestos warriors privacy at risk. This is just what H.R. 982 would do. H.R. 982 is just the latest tactic in this... |
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Chinese Hackers Pursue Key Data on U.S. Workers
Chinese hackers in March broke into the computer networks of the United States government agency that houses the personal information of all federal employees, according to senior American officials. They appeared to be targeting the files on tens of thousands of employees who have applied for top-secret security clearances.
The hackers gained access to some of the databases of the Office of Personnel Management before the federal authorities detected the threat and blocked them from the network, according to the officials. It is not yet clear how far the hackers penetrated the agency’s systems, in which applicants for security clearances list their foreign contacts, previous jobs and personal information like past drug use.
In response to questions about the matter, a senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that the attack had occurred but said that “at this time,”...
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
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Monday, August 12, 2013
3 Responses for “What the Recent Data Breach Says About the State of Health IT”
The privacy of medical records is an essential component of the workers' compensation system. As the use of electronic records becomes more commonplace the need to maintain the records in a secure format becomes increasingly critical. Today's post was shared by The Health Care Blog and comes from thehealthcareblog.com By David Do, MD
While I don’t condone the storage of patient information on unapproved services like Gmail or Google Drive, this incident pretty much highlights the sorry state of information systems within the hospital and the unfulfilled need by physicians for tools that facilitate workflow and patient care.
It says something that the Oregon residents felt compelled to take such a drastic action. I don’t know what punishment – if any – those responsible were given by administrators for their “crimes.” I’ll leave it to readers to make up their own minds about the wisdom of the unauthorized workaround and the appropriateness of any punishment. But I do know that the message the incident sends is a very clear one.
We’re screwing this up. There is really no earthly reason why it should be any more difficult to share a patient record than it is to share a Word doc, a Powerpoint or yes, even a cloud-based Google Drive spreadsheet.
Why the Breach Happened
What’s going on here? Let’s say I admit a patient to the hospital. Our friend was hospitalized here just last month, and like many patients, he has dementia...
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