Patient health care data at risk, study

A new report on the security of the personal information of health care patients was just released and it indicates that steps need to be taken and rules enforced.

Among the findings of the 2008 HIMSS Analytics Report: Security of Patient Data, commissioned by Kroll Fraud Solutions, is that patient data collected and stored in hospitals and health care facilities is a prime target for malicious data hunters.

The patient records in these facilities include the golden combination that data fraudsters require -- names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. Records also contain mailing address, insurance policy information, medical history and sometimes credit card and financial information used to expedite billing and payment – “more data in one record than those of any other source such as banks, schools or HR departments.”

The report, which polled 263 IT executives and chief security officers, found that in the period from 2006-2007, more than 1.5 million names were exposed during data breaches that occurred in hospitals alone.

http://www.scmagazineus.com/Patient-health-care-data-at-risk-study/article/110357/