AvMed Data Breach Tops One Million

A data breach at AvMed Health Plans that previously was thought to have affected 360,000 current and former members now totals 1.22 million, the Miami-based insurer has announced.

Two laptop computers were stolen last December 11 from an AvMed facility in Gainesville. A preliminary forensic examination found personal data, including name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and health related data, might have been compromised for 360,000 individuals. Further analysis has revealed that information on another 860,000 members may be at risk. To date, AvMed has no evidence that any information on the laptop has been misused. The company on June 7 will begin mailing notification letters and is offering two years of identity protection services.

Breaches Involving 500 or More Patients

As required by section 13402(e)(4) of the HITECH Act, HHS must post a list of breaches of unsecured protected health information affecting 500 or more individuals. The following breaches have been reported to HHS for the month of May:

Oconee Physician Practices
State: South Carolina
Approx. # of Individuals Affected: 653
Date of Breach: 5/09/10
Type of Breach: Theft
Location of Breached Information: Laptop

VA North Texas Health Care System
State: Texas
Approx. # of Individuals Affected: 4,083
Date of Breach: 5/04/10
Type of Breach: Improper Disposal
Location of Breached Information: Paper Records

Practice Fusion and Kareo Announce New Integrated Software

Kareo and Practice Fusion today announced their integrated solution for medical practitioners. Kareo, a provider of medical billing software for physicians and Practice Fusion, and EHR vendor, have teamed up.

"This is a ground-breaking health IT partnership that teams the easiest-to-use medical billing solution with the fastest-growing EHR – offering physicians a complete solution to the financial and clinical needs of their practice," said Dan Rodrigues, CEO of Kareo. "With web-based platforms and low cost of ownership from both Kareo and Practice Fusion, there is no other medical billing and EHR solution on the market that's as easy, affordable, and quick-to-setup."

Key Items:

• Practice Fusion's free, web-based EHR includes scheduling, charting, e-prescribing, secure messaging, document management and lab interfaces.
• Kareo's medical billing software is connected to every major payor in the US and includes electronic insurance billing, patient billing, accounts receivables management and analytics.
• Both Kareo and Practice Fusion's services are optional for customers and also available independently.

The Kareo/Practice Fusion integration is live for any doctor in the US starting today.  The combined solution is guaranteed to be HHS certified for federal EMR stimulus incentives under the economic stimulus plan.  How that is accomplished is unknown.

Speaking and Writing Events

The following is an update on upcoming speaking and writing events for Jud DeLoss:

"Complying with the HITECH Act Legal Requirements," American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, Webinar, June 2, 2010

"Responding to the Breach Notification Requirements," AMC Security & Privacy Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, June 7, 2010

"New Cops on the Beat: The New Enforcement Landscape after HITECH," AMC Security & Privacy Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, June 8, 2010

"Legal e-speaking column," Journal of American Health Information Management Association, June 2010

"HIT Hits the Fan: An Overview of the 2009 and 2010 HITECH Regulations," AHLA Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, June 28-30, 2010

2010 Legal EHR Summit, Chicago, IL, August 16-17, 2010