The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Incident: Michigan reporter finds health information in medical centres' dumpsters

Fraudsters, blackmailers and identity theives are usually pretty quiet about what they find while dumpster diving. Reporters, on the other hand, are more than happy to tell you what they've found. This is the case with Amy Fox of WZZM in Michigan. Ms. Fox went on an expedition to check out the dumpsters in the vicinity of medical centres. She found that half of all unsecured dumpsters had personal health information, incuding some very sensitive information. Today is a day that I'm glad that I'm not Dr. Dorsey Ligon:

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - Medical Privacy: Trashed
In the same dumpster, outside the same medical office complex, we found multiple documents from OB/GYN, Dr. Dorsey Ligon's office. We found forms with patient's names, addresses, social security numbers, and other identifiers like where they work. We also found a patient's hospital discharge report with detailed information about her hysterectomy and her history of treatment for depression. It's a document that disturbed Denise Chrysler of the Department of Community Health. She asked, “You said, in a dumpster?" That's right; we found the documents in an unprotected dumpster just outside of a doctor's office. Dr. Ligon's office gave us a statement about the strict measures in place to protect patient's privacy, including paper shredders throughout the office. The statement also says, "When a flaw in the system has been recognized we take immediate action to resolve the issue. Our patients can be assured that their expectation for privacy will be met."

Part II is here: WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - MEDICAL PRIVACY TRASHED PART 2

Labels: health information, information breaches

11/09/2005 07:53:00 PM :: (1 comments) :: Backlinks

Comments:

The real problem here is that I have a mobile document shredding company here in Grand Rapids MI. I have approached this office about my service, was turned away. Told they did not need a shredding service.

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