Content by Howard Anderson

Desktop Computer Thefts Affect 39,000

Howard Anderson  •  August 2, 2010

Montefiore Medical Center in New York is notifying 39,000 patients about two recent incidents involving the theft of unencrypted desktop computers.

Final Breach Notification Rule on Hold

Howard Anderson  •  July 30, 2010

Federal regulators are going back to the drawing board before issuing a final version of the HITECH Act breach notification rule.

Massachusetts Breach: An Update

Howard Anderson  •  July 28, 2010

An update on a recent Massachusetts breach incident shows that even driving a truck can have security risks.

Prescription Records Hacked 4 Times

Howard Anderson  •  July 26, 2010

A server at the University of Texas at Arlington containing prescription records for 27,000 was hacked four times over the course of a year.

Laptop Theft Affects 21,000 Patients

Howard Anderson  •  July 26, 2010

A unencrypted laptop containing personal information on about 21,000 patients --including Social Security numbers -- was stolen at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia.

Colorado Breach Affects 111,000

Howard Anderson  •  July 23, 2010

A total of 111,000 Medicaid recipients in Colorado have been notified that a hard drive containing information about them is missing and may have been stolen from a state office.

Official Breach Tally Hits 119

Howard Anderson  •  July 22, 2010

As of July 22, the official federal list of major healthcare information included 119 incidents affecting almost 5 million Americans.

Mass. Breach Could Affect 800,000

Howard Anderson  •  July 20, 2010

Unencrypted backup computer files containing personal, health and financial information on about 800,000 people may have been lost by a company that a Massachusetts hospital hired to destroy the files.

Encryption: No Mandate So Far

Howard Anderson  •  July 19, 2010

A new batch of rules stops short of mandating the use of encryption. Is a mandate necessary?

California Breach Cause: Missing CD

Howard Anderson  •  July 15, 2010

The California Department of Health Care Services has notified nearly 30,000 individuals of a breach stemming from the loss of a compact disk that may not have been encrypted.

Federal Breach List Gets a Facelift

Howard Anderson  •  July 14, 2010

The official federal tally of major healthcare information breaches is now "new and improved," with a searchable format and the names of private practices revealed.

Breach Lessons: Sweat the Small Stuff

Howard Anderson  •  July 8, 2010

Two recent healthcare information breaches illustrate that even routine business processes, like throwing away old filing cabinets or mailing letters, can be risky.

Breach Notification Advice Offered

Howard Anderson  •  July 7, 2010

An updated risk management tool provides helpful advice on determining when to report a breach.

Health Net Settles Breach Suit

Howard Anderson  •  July 7, 2010

Insurer Health Net will pay $250,000 in damages and offer stronger consumer protections to settle a lawsuit filed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal over a breach in 2009.

Use Breach List to Win Security Funds

Howard Anderson  •  June 22, 2010

If you're looking for a way to persuade your CEO and board of directors to provide increased funding for information security, show them the list of major breaches reported to federal regulators.