New Jersey has not monitored access to key personal information in a computer system that tracks care for the poor, making it possible that Social Security numbers and other information about doctors and patients have been misused, according to a state audit. The analysis determined that the Department of Human Services lacks appropriate security policies and procedures for the computer system it uses to process claims for more than one million New Jersey Medicaid patients. The audit is the third in recent weeks to criticize New Jersey's $9 billion Medicaid program, with others finding people earning as much as $295,000 enrolled in the program and questionable medical equipment purchases.
Lawanda Jackson, a former administrative specialist at UCLA Medical Center, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly selling information to the media from medical records of celebrity patients. Jackson was indicted on a charge of obtaining individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage. Actress Farrah Fawcett and her lawyers allege that Jackson leaked personal information about Fawcett's battle with cancer to tabloids.
During an appearance in Baltimore, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stressed the merits of switching to electronic medical records. Gingrich was in Baltimore to speak at a healthcare symposium concentrating on preventable medication errors, healthcare information technology and healthcare issues. The federal government will spend up to $150 million over the next five years on electronic records, but many other countries spend more. The United Kingdom allocated more than $11 billion to digitize its healthcare system, and Canada is spending a billion dollars. Gingrich also advocated increasing the focus on preventive care instead of treatment, which he said would save billions in health costs.
Due to a spate of recent security lapses, private information on hundreds of thousands of patients has been compromised. But institutions are reluctant to clamp down on security too tightly, for fear that doing so could get in the way of patient care. The stream of privacy breaches also threatens to undermine the healthcare industry’s effort to adopt electronic medical records, a push meant to make medical care safer and more convenient for patients. The piece also provides a discussion forum where readers can share their thoughts.
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is seeking volunteer members for 10 work groups. The work groups will help the organization put together certification criteria and testing programs for a number of electronic health records products, including two new work groups to cover behavioral health and personal health records. Other work groups looking for additional members include ambulatory, cardiovascular medicine, child health, emergency department, inpatient, interoperability, privacy and compliance, and security.
The FDA issued a warning to Philips Medical Systems about problems with manufacturing procedures for its CT and nuclear imaging systems. The problems include failures to oversee proper device design and proper procedures to handle complaints. Inspections conducted at Philips' Cleveland facility, from July 24, 2007, through Sept. 27, 2007, and from Oct. 22, 2007, through Nov. 9, 2007, revealed that the devices were adulterated, said FDA officials. The agency noted that failure to promptly correct the violations may result in regulatory action being initiated by the FDA "without further notice," including seizure, injunction and/or civil money penalties.