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.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Misdirected faxes plague hospitals and others

I should probably stop passing along these stories, since they happen pretty frequently. On the other hand, they serve as a regular reminder that faxes can easily be misdirected. From the article below, it appears the hospital in question has been pretty diligent in trying to stem the problem of misdirected faxes. Nevertheless, mistakes continue to happen.

HeraldNet: Hospital works to cut number of fax problems:
"Providence Everett Medical Center mistakenly faxed patient information to The Herald.
By Sharon Salyer
Herald Writer
Providence Everett Medical Center, which set up new faxing policies last year after medical information was mistakenly faxed to the home of a Marysville man, has had the problem occur again.
This time, the fax, containing confidential patient medical information, was accidentally sent to The Herald's newsroom.
The problem occurred when an employee was trying to fax medical information using a list of fax numbers for 650 area physicians who have credentials to treat hospital patients, hospital spokeswoman Cheri Russum said..."

I know that many hospitals that I've been in contact with have implemented a policy that faxes can only be sent using "speed dial" codes, to prevent mis-dialled numbers. If you hit the wrong button, it'll go to another medical professional but at least you know it is unlikely to end up on the front page of the paper. (This strategy only really works if you do not have the newsroom on the speed dial!) Perhaps smarter faxes are needed that will ask "did you really want to send this to the New York Times?" before they actually dial.

Labels: information breaches