Massachusetts Settlement for Impermissible Use

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens. University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Group Inc. and Memorial Medical Center Inc. each face investigation by the Massachusetts Attorney General Maura…

Is it Impermissible to Disclose a Risk to Public Safety?

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.  If a mental heath patient poses a risk to the safety of themselves or the public, is it impermissible for their doctor to disclose the information? Does it…

ABC Documentary Leads to Settlement

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.  ABC's 2015 documentary series, “Save My Life: Boston Trauma”, resulted in the investigation of three prestigious Boston teaching hospitals. Massachusetts…

Inaccurate Detection of Impermissible Use

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.    Inaccurate Detection Hurt Everyone The Consort and District Medical Centre Society in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada risked its reputation, money, and…

Employee Snooping: Personal, Professional, Criminal

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.  It's Personal Back in 2008, Dr. Joshua Welch had an affair with a woman, "Anne". After informing him she may have contracted an STI, Anne suspected that Dr.…

The Power in Your Pocket... To Steal PHI

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.  Bournemouth, UK Eight Months of Photos of PHI Daniel Storr is under investigation for bribing former coworker, Aden Embling. In return, Embling sent Storr…

States' Attorneys General Enforce HIPAA

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.  Since a precedent set by US District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras in June, HIPAA enforcement has been limited to the Department of Health and Human Services…

A Look Back: $4.1 Million Settlement

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Background 20,000 people visited the Stanford Hospital emergency room between March 1st, 2009 and August 21st, 2009. Each one of them had their protected…

A Different Kind Of Identity Fraud

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Medical Malpractice With a Twist  Manquis Daniels died in June 2011 after undergoing heart surgery. His surviving wife is suing the hospital. Marie…

Publicity Puts Patients at Higher Risk for Privacy Breaches

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens. Mass Overdose Victims In March 2011, eleven teens and young adults were hospitalized in Minnesota due to an overdose of the synthetic drug 2C-E. There was one…

Unprotected Tragedy

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   A Family's Tragedy After the gate at a public swimming pool was accidentally left open, Denise and Wayne Russell's adopted son, Keon, wandered into…

Less Than a Third of Healthcare Organizations are Insured

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens. Running A Real Risk Only 30% of healthcare organizations have cybersecurity insurance, according to a 2018 survey by Ovum for FICO. In comparison, 76% of all…

A Brief History of EHR

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Electronic health records (EHR) are essentially the digital version of what's on the clipboard at the end of a hospital bed. Now, entire EHR systems…

The 2018 Cost of Data Breach Study: A Global Overview

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Overview In July, the Ponemon Institute released The 2018 Cost of Data Breach Study: A Global Overview. The study highlights the magnitude of the…

Canadian Digital Privacy Act Raises Stakes

Veriphyr reports impermissible use of patient data the first time it happens. Digital Privacy Act Recently, Canada added an amendment to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The Digital Privacy Act creates…

Anthem Pays $115 Million Settlement

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Superlative Settlement On August 16th, Anthem Inc. signed the check for the $115 million settlement of the class action lawsuit against them for their…

Three Times This University Hospital Had to Act Against HIPAA Violations

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Shoulder Surfing A hospital at the University of Iowa fired a full-time medical assistant for breaching patient privacy by "shoulder surfing". The…

Veriphyr's Survey of Patient Privacy Breaches

Veriphyr proactively reports impermissible use of PHI the first time it happens.   Employees are the Leading Source of Breaches  In 2011, Veriphyr published the results of a survey on Protected Health Information (PHI)  privacy…