[Dataloss] Ma hospital missing handheld

[Henry Brown]

COMMENTARY...
why would a PDA, which according to this news story was used to collect 
and upload data daily have 384 patient records ??
and of course there is the minor issue of PDA going missing on March 12 
and "patients" being notified on April 17

END OF COMMENTARY
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080419/NEWS/804190436/1116

HealthAlliance computer lost

By Lisa Eckelbecker TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
leckelbecker at telegram.com


LEOMINSTER— The healthcare system Central New England HealthAlliance has 
sent letters to 384 patients notifying them that their personal 
information, including Social Security numbers and health insurance 
information, may be vulnerable because a hand-held computer used by a 
home health nurse is missing.

HealthAlliance, which has hospitals and offers services in North Central 
Massachusetts, knows of no misuse of information that was stored in the 
personal digital assistant, or PDA, but has reported the potential data 
breach to Leominster police, said Mary Lourdes Burke, a spokeswoman for 
HealthAlliance.

“We’re still taking the necessary steps, in terms of investigating the 
incident, notifying the patients and (following) all the rules and 
regulations of the state in terms of notifying the proper authorities,” 
Mrs. Burke said.


In a letter dated April 17 that was sent to HealthAlliance home health 
patients, HealthAlliance Director of Compliance and Corporate Privacy 
David J. Murray wrote that a home health nurse noticed her PDA was 
missing on or about March 12. Nurses use the PDAs to document care while 
they are visiting patients, then connect them to HealthAlliance 
computers at the end of the day to update electronic medical records, he 
wrote.

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