Do you know where your work laptop is? Do you get work e-mail on your smartphone? Are both sufficiently password protected? What about your business associates? Do you believe they sufficiently protect all protected health information they have in their possession? It would probably be a good idea to take another look at your electronic device security because the theft of laptops and other devices continues to be the leading cause of information breaches.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires healthcare providers to disclose to the government whenever the protected health information of at least 500 peoples has been compromised. According to a June 11, 2014, report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights for the years 2011 and 2012, the theft of devices such as laptops accounts for nearly half of those reports. Some of the largest breaches involved business associates, including a 2011 incident in which nearly 5 million people were affected.
To read the full report, click on the following link: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/breachreport2011-2012.pdf
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