Observations from HIMSS

X-ray films awaiting disposal are stolen for their silver content, forcing costly breach notifications. The author recommends securing storage rooms or digitizing and safely destroying films.

Mayo Clinic launched a Center for Social Media to train practitioners on responsible use, addressing PHI risks as EMR sharing expands. The author favors its guidance over blanket blocking.

HIMSS buzzed about "Meaningful Use" requirements for EHR stimulus funds, tying eligibility to HIPAA compliance and risk assessments that must cover all PHI-handling apps and devices, not just EMRs.

I recently had the opportunity to review an article by Michael Koploy of Software Advice titled "HHS Data Tells the True Story of HIPAA Violations in the Cloud".

Many IT folks know that regardless of their respective fields the "unofficial" eighth and ninth layers of the OSI model are budget and politics.

At a recent networking event I heard a manager express frustration over managing an employee who got caught up in her own fairy tales that resulted in a very embarrassing termination.