Computers containing medical information missing from Indian Health Service
HIPAA Weekly Advisor, July 28, 2008
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Millions of dollars in equipment—including computers containing patient information—has been lost by or stolen from Indian Health Service (IHS) locations nationwide, the Arizona Daily Star reported July 22.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit found that 5,000 items were lost or stolen between 2004 and 2007, according to the article. Some computer equipment contained insecure patient information. A desktop computer contained medical information about 840 uranium miners, and a PDA contained information about patients of a Tucson, AZ hospital. The information was neither password-protected nor encrypted.
“This was in violation of federal policy and increased the risk that sensitive information could be disclosed to unauthorized individuals," Gregory D. Kutz, managing director of forensic audits and special investigations for the GAO, told the newspaper. The GAO is referring these cases to the OIG for further investigation.
IHS provides services to nearly 2 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives, according to the article. They are members of more than 560 tribes, including 21 in Arizona.
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