A former EHR tech was sentenced to 12 years in prison for using patient data to commit fraud and launder money. This serves as a reminder to all practices to ensure that you have business associate agreements and other protections in place.
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While many EHR techs are reputable, this particular EHR tech was not. The former medical records technician and Army administrator was sentenced to prison time for targeting 3,300 military personnel.
He worked with four other individuals to steal money, using information from the EHR database. He took pictures of the EHR screen to provide stolen data to a co-defendant and people in the Philippines.
The victims, including numerous disabled veterans, among others, experienced financial losses. The former tech was ordered to pay over $2.3 Million in restitution and will be placed on supervised lease following his prison sentence.
This unfortunate crime can serve as a useful reminder for healthcare practices to update their HIPAA privacy and security practices and related documents.
Business associates and vendors are increasingly the cause of breaches for healthcare entities.
Protect your practice by putting standardized protections and practices in place.
Train your staff to react immediately when they think something is suspicious or think a breach may be occurring. Let your staff know that you take their concerns seriously and will thoroughly investigate potential issues.
When entering into new agreement with vendors, make sure to vet their security systems.
Breaches cost time, money and result in a loss of patient trust. It is essential to make sure your practice is prepared ahead of time.
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