Edward Markey (D-MA) wrote a letter to the commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking what the agency was doing about the security risk posed by copiers. The day after the "CBS Evening News" report aired, Rep. The issue has also attracted federal attention. They discovered that the hard drives were filled with confidential information from two large corporations. On April 19 on "CBS Evening News," investigative reporter Armen Keteyian told how more than 300 medical documents from patients enrolled in a New York health insurance company were found on the hard drive of a used photocopy machine purchased at a nearby resale office equipment warehouse in New Jersey.Īnd in November 2009, WINK News of Fort Myers, FL, aired a report following an investigation in which reporters purchased 10 hard drives from unknown sources on the online auction website eBay. Healthcare providers are taking a closer look at copier-related HIPAA privacy issues following recent television coverage of confidential data breaches. In a typical healthcare practice, this could mean that driver's licenses, health insurance ID cards, medical records, and personal checks are routinely copied or scanned, creating a repository of confidential patient information.Īs hospitals focus on more conventional threats to the security of patient data, it's been easy to overlook these omnipresent machines when developing a plan to comply with HIPAA provisions. Starting in 2002, digital copiers have been designed to retain in their memory an image of everything they copy, scan, and e-mail. Many healthcare providers are scrambling to shut this security hole following televised reports of patient data found on copiers discarded by medical facilities.įrom a privacy and security perspective, office copiers are not benign. J- The lowly office copy machine can be a treasure trove of data vulnerable to identity theft and a potentially massive healthcare privacy rule violation. Is your office copier a hole in your HIPAA security plan? By Cynthia E.
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