More Hospital Employees looking at patients records

Earlier this year, there was news of some medical workers looking at the medical records of celebrities. UCLA Medical Center warned it’s employees that they would be cracking down on this unauthorized access, however 127 UCLA workers have been implicated recently.

• Story link from http://www.latimes.com/, posted on Aug 5, 2008 – http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-health5-2008aug05,0,3890869,full.story

…twice as many medical center employees as had previously been reported peeked at confidential medical records at UCLA. Nearly 60 additional employees gained improper access to records between January 2004 and June 2006, bringing the total number of workers implicated in the growing scandal to 127.

…one employee — a former administrative specialist — looked at the records of 939 patients “without any legitimate reason”. She also looked at other personal information, including Social Security numbers, the state now says.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia Sends Personal Information To Wrong Addresses

The largest health insurance provider in Georgia has sent mail to the wrong addresses, possibly affecting over 200,000 people to identity theft.

You would think a health insurance agency would have better practices in place to protect individuals’ information.

• Story reported by the Associate Press, link from local news station www.wsbtv.com, posted on July 29, 2008 – http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17025491/detail.html

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the letters were sent last week by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. They include the patients’ name and ID number, the name of the medical service provider and the amounts charged and owed.

A company spokeswoman said “a small percentage” of the letters also contained Social Security numbers.

U.S. contradicts itself over its ID theft advice

This really has already been reported, and you can read my original post here. However, here is another story and some other examples of how Identity Theft is a big problem, even for the government.

• Story from Associated press, but ling is on msnbc.com, posted on July 2 – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25504302/

At least 44 million Medicare insurance cards include the beneficiary’s full Social Security number. The number also appears on 8 million Defense Department identity cards used by active duty and reserve forces and their dependents, and on identification cards issued to military retirees. The Pentagon, however, plans to remove the numbers but won’t complete the effort until 2014.

Data Breaches up 69% in 2008

It only the first half of 2008, but compared to the same period in 2007, there is a 69 percent increasein data breaches. Every type of business categories (health care, banks, education, construction, government and military) reported increases!

• Link from washingtonpost.com, posted on July 1, 2008 – http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/06/data_breach_reports_up_69_perc_1.html

The Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego tracked 342 data breach reports from Jan. 1 to June 27. More than one-third of the reports came from businesses, a 27 percent increase over business breaches for all of 2007.

Over 6,500 CNET Employees Notified of Theft After Data Breach

CNET was one of several clients when some equipment was stolen from an outsourcing service. Information stolen, ”…contains the human resources data of several of their clients including CNET networks”.

• Link from PC World, posted on June 23, 2008 – http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147460/cnet_employees_notified_after_data_breach.html

More than 6,500 CNET Networks employees and relatives are being notified of a possible data breach after burglars stole computer systems from the offices of the company that administers the Internet publisher’s benefit plans.

The computers contained names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and employment information of the beneficiaries of CNET’s health insurance plans.

Social Security numbers on Medicare cards used by millions of Americans

Do you remember how Diver Licenses and Insurance cards used to have everyone’s Social Security numbers on them? Then the laws were changed to secure personal information. However, we have returned that that day again. Social Security Numbers are being used on Governmenet Issued Medicare Cards used by millions of Americans!

• Original Link from NY Times on-line, posted on June 22, 2008 – http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/washington/22medicare.html?ex=1371873600&en=5b12338439573345&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Agency Sees Theft Risk for ID Card in Medicare – By ROBERT PEAR

Social Security officials are calling for immediate action to remove Social Security numbers from the Medicare cards used by millions of Americans.

Social Security officials, concerned about the risk of identity theft, are calling for immediate action to remove Social Security numbers from the Medicare cards used by millions of Americans.

But Medicare officials have resisted the proposal, saying it would be costly and impractical.

Stanford University has laptop stolen with personal data

Stanford University reported that a laptop with personal data of current and former employees was stolen.

• Original link from Stanford News Service, posted on June 6, 2008 – http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/june11/laprelease-061108.html

Stanford University determined yesterday that a university laptop, which was recently stolen, contained confidential personnel data. The university is not disclosing details about the theft as an investigation is under way.

In working to identify the information that was on the machine, yesterday we discovered that it had personnel records of current and former Stanford employees hired before September 28, 2007.

University of Utah had medical records stolen

University of Utah announced that 2.2 million billing records from University Hospital had been stolen from a granite wall vault. It can stand a nuclear blast, but cannot be saved from Identity Theft!

• Original link posted from The Salt Lake Tribune on June 11, 2008 – http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_9546844

“Perpetual Storage Inc.’s vault is encased in Little Cottonwood Canyon’s solid granite walls.” “…its vault can withstand fires, flooding and earthquakes and even, given its 12-pound stainless-steel door, a nuclear blast.” “But on Tuesday, the University of Utah announced that 2.2 million billing records from University Hospital had been stolen…”

Is the doctor’s office stealing your identity?

Here is an article from amednews.com

• Medical identity theft is often an “inside job” on March 3, 2008 – http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/03/03/prsc0303.htm

When physicians look to protect their patients from medical identity theft, they may want to start by examining their office staff.

That’s because, while patients may try to use another person’s identity fraudulently to receive medical care, many thefts happen when a hospital, clinic or practice employee sells patient information to organized crime or gang leaders, experts said. Then the information is used to conduct fake billing or obtain goods such as wheelchairs and prescription drugs to sell on the black market, said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, a nonprofit research and consumer education organization.

The forum is conducting its second study of medical identity theft, and the findings will be released later this year. In its first study, issued in 2006, the organization reported that 250,000 to 500,000 people had experienced this form of identity theft.

USA Today – “Identity thieves prey on patients’ medical records”

Here is an article published on-line by USAToday.com, all about Medical Identity Theft.

• Original link – http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-06-privacy_N.htm

Also, within the article, they link another story on Medical ID Theft Victims’ problem on accessing their own medical records! See this story here – http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-29-medical-records_N.htm