Interesting post by my colleague Vivek Krishnamurthy, on our Corporate Social Responsibility blog, about how software companies should set the default privacy settings on their products.
How should software companies set the default privacy settings on their products? Microsoft’s announcement earlier this month that the next version of its Internet Explorer web browser will ship with its "Do Not Track" functionality switched on has sparked a lively debate on this very issue.… More
A recent Harris Interactive survey of 2,625 adult Americans reveals some interesting attitudes towards employer confidential information, including significant variations depending on an employee’s age:
– 68% of 18-34 year olds responded that it is acceptable to remove confidential information from their place of employment. This contrasts with just half (50%) of those 55 years old or older believing such behavior is acceptable.
–… More
With relatively little fanfare, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed S.2158, into law on April 27, 2012, making HIV testing possible with simply verbal consent, as opposed to written consent. The legislation amends Mass. Gen. L. ch. 111, section 70F; its aim is to increase screening for HIV and I believe it will have that effect.
Will the change in the law have an impact on health information management?… More
As you may recall, the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) Act gives state Attorneys General the authority to bring civil actions on behalf of state residents for violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Some states, like Massachusetts, have already started to use this authority to bring and settle cases.
To advance state enforcement, HHS OCR has developed HIPAA Enforcement Training modules,… More
You may have missed it, because it came without fanfare and does not seem to have made the data security trade press, but in early May, the State of Vermont updated its data security law. In particular, these revisions to 9 V.S.A. chapter 62 do the following: