Privacy

HHS withdraws health record breach notification rule from review

August 02, 2010

The Department of Health and Human Services has temporarily withdrawn a final rule requiring certain healthcare facilities to notify patients when there is a breach of the privacy of their "unsecured" health information.

Temporary reprieve from 'red flags' rule could be on horizon for healthcare providers

June 17, 2010

An agreement to exempt healthcare providers from the federal "red flags" privacy rule could be forthcoming, according to a recent report from the Bureau of National Affairs.

Newspaper letters shed light on people's opinions about long-term care during the Depression

Liza Berger May 07, 2010

Old people should live alone. At least, that was the general thinking back in the 1930s.

Medicare database could hold key to spending reductions, but privacy issues raise concerns

October 01, 2009

Mining Medicare's database for information comparing individual doctors' spending practices could help significantly reduce healthcare spending, according to a recent report.

HIPAA-covered healthcare providers must notify individuals of information breaches under new rule

August 24, 2009

The Department of Health and Human Services has released an interim rule regarding healthcare information privacy breaches.

State privacy laws could be slowing electronic medical record adoption

July 14, 2009

The call for widespread adoption of electronic medical records has prompted some states to pass stringent privacy laws to protect their residents against fraud or identity theft. But a new analysis finds these laws seem to significantly diminish the effectiveness of the new technology.