[Dataloss] Georgetown University - E-Health Gaffe Exposes Hospital

[lyger]

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71453-0.html

By Kevin Poulsen
02:00 AM Jul, 25, 2006

Georgetown University Hospital suspended a trial program with an 
electronic prescription-writing firm last week after a computer consultant 
stumbled upon an online cache of data belonging to thousands of patients, 
Wired News has learned.

The leaked information included patients' names, addresses, Social 
Security numbers and dates of birth, but not medical data or the drugs the 
patients were prescribed, says Marianne Worley, a spokeswoman for the 
Washington, D.C.-based hospital known for providing emergency care to the 
nation's most powerful political figures.

The hospital had securely transmitted the patient data to e-prescription 
provider InstantDx. But an Indiana-based consultant accidentally 
discovered the data on InstantDx's computers while working to install 
medical software for a client.

"The initial investigation has found that no patient demographic data was 
inappropriately used," says Worley, who says between 5,600 and 23,000 
patients were affected. She added that the hospital learned of the breach 
when Wired News contacted it last week.

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