[Dataloss] CT: Medical papers found in trash bin may lead to fines

[lyger]

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/greenwich/18807.shtml

A box left in a trash bin could end up leaving some local doctors a 
little lighter in the wallet.

The Greenwich Post was given a box filled medical documents from the 
Dearfield Medical Building that may have been improperly disposed of. The 
box was discovered at 4 Dearfield Drive inside a trash bin in May and 
contains information about lab tests and insurance approvals as well as 
other medical issues. These documents are not medical charts, but do 
contain patient names and contact information.

  According the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 
under the privacy regulations for the Health Insurance Portability and 
Accountability Act (HIPAA), documents such as the ones in the trash bin 
are supposed to be kept confidential and then shredded when disposed of, 
not just thrown out in a box.

[...]