Healthcare IT Update

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield did not follow PHI breach notification procedures, AG charges.

What began as a personal laptop stolen from a one of three cars parked in a Chicago neighborhood on August 25 has become a provider and public relations nightmare for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wants to know why some Connecticut providers weren’t notified about the possible security breach until recently, reports The Connecticut Post. The AG also criticized Anthem BCBS for offering only one year’s credit monitoring and insurance to those whose PHI might have been leaked in the breach. Anthem has since extended credit protection to two years. So what happened in the first place?

Working from home & PHI don’t mix: A BCBS employee who intended to work from home had downloaded “confidential information from 18,817 Connecticut doctors and other health care providers,” the Post reports. Ooops. Anthem…