Research and retrieval of news articles by:
Bennett Gold LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants

SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL VISITORS:
Effective December 31 2012, articles are no longer being updated on this web site.
The site is now maintained as an historical archive, covering notable e-commerce news articles from the period 1999 to 2012.

DETROIT HOSPITAL SECURITY BREACH INCLUDES 11 YEARS OF PATIENT RECORDS

Posted on November 15, 2010

Henry Ford Health Systems has notified patients of a possible security breach after a laptop was stolen out of an unlocked medical urology office September 24th. Representatives with the hospital said although the password was protected there is a possibility some personal patient information could be at risk.

The hospital began notifying affected patients in a letter mailed last week from Chief Privacy Officer Meredith Phillips. The letter explained what happened, what information was stored on the laptop and what steps the health system is taking to prevent future breaches of patient information.

"The security of our patients' health information is very important to us, and we sincerely apologize for what happened," Phillips said. "This laptop did not have the proper security protections that we require for laptop computers storing patient information."

The laptop contained patient information related to prostate services received between 1997 and 2008 and included some but not all of the following information: Patient name, medical record number, date of birth, mailing and e-mail addresses, telephone number, treatment and doctor visits. No Social Security numbers or health insurance information were stored on the laptop.

Under U.S. federal law, health care organizations are required to notify patients within 60 days of a breach of unsecured health information.

To address any patient questions or concerns, Henry Ford set up a toll-free telephone number: 1-888-313-1027.

E-Commerce Alerts are issued by Bennett Gold LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as situations develop. Bookmark this site and check back often. Our e-mail address is: info@BennettGold.ca

In accordance with United States Code, Title 17, Section 107 and Article 10 of The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, the news clippings on this web site are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

ALERT
ARCHIVES
Final Entries
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999