Privacy & Security

In a merger of two major health information management companies, HealthPort, which specializes in information access management and compliance, will join forces with IOD, which offers services for release of information, coding and more.

Prior to the deployment of its virtual desktop infrastructure, clinicians at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles had been logging into desktops using shared user IDs -- a risky shortcut to bypass having to type multiple passwords.

When it comes to healthcare data security breaches, law firms can offer firsthand insight into what they see from their clients. A new report sheds light on the No. 1 cause of security incidents for which companies sought legal guidance.

Healthcare security professionals, listen up: This year, for the first time ever in a Ponemon Institute data breach report, cyberattacks topped the list as the No. 1 cause of healthcare breaches, surpassing all other categories.

The IT infrastructure office at the Department of Health and Human Services has some serious security problems. This after the office received a less than satisfactory security report card from the Office of Inspector General this week.

Every 60 seconds, 232 computers are infected with malware; 12 websites are successfully hacked; more than 571 new websites are created, and 204 million emails are sent. Combine this with the fact that on the black market, medical records are worth $60, compared to credit card data, which typically sells for $20. "That makes us a significant targets," said Intermountain Healthcare's CISO Karl West.

Marking its entry into the patient identification market, health IT security company Imprivata has acquired Tampa, Florida-based HT Systems, which develops technology for palm-vein-based biometric patient ID.

Former National Coordinator for Health IT David Brailer, MD, argues in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal that it's time for Americans to take charge of their medical records.

You've probably heard of it once or twice over the past few years. But it's a concept that still needs some more definition. Our columnist explains why she's not a fan of "patient engagement."

Another healthcare employee opened an email that turned out to be a phishing scam that ended up compromising the protected health information and Social Security numbers of 39,000 patients.