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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Ind. Law - More on: New law establishes procedures for AG to seize, secure, store, and destroy abandoned or at risk health records and other records containing personally identifying information

This ILB entry from yesterday, April 17, 2010, reports on three laws passed over the past several years relating to both dealing with those who abandon medical records, and what to do with sensitive documents that are abandoned. In South Bend...

Meanwhile, in Evansville, Courtney Gousman reported on April 15, 2010, via ABC News25:

EVANSVILLE - With the help of a tip, Evansville police make an interesting discovery that identity thieves would treasure.

Patient records, billing statements and even prescription pads all found inside a vacant medical building, owned by an area doctor. NEWS 25 talked to officers and found out the county prosecutor is now involved.

Boxes of medical records left behind.

Evansville police says Wednesday they were called to a old cancer center on North Burkhardt, after a worker from a nearby business, tipped them off to the medical records that were inside. * * *

NEWS 25 searched through the boxes and found everything from patient names, to addresses, and social security numbers, but officers tell us, the most disturbing find out of all this, were the doctor's prescription pads.

"Those are always subject to abuse by people with substance abuse issues," says DeYoung.

NEWS 25 learned the building where the documents were found, is owned by Evansville Dr. Lotfi Hadad who used to run Evansville Cancer Care there.

He now practices just steps away on Columbia. NEWS 25 tracked down Dr. Hadad, but he didn't want to comment about EPD's find.

"We don't know if there's actually a law violation or if it's strictly some type of HIPA thing, which will be dealt with through the licensing board," says DeYoung.

Hadad's office workers tell us, the building has been vacant for at least two years.

Anyone can just walk inside because there are no doors or windows. The city says it will soon be demolished to make room for more retail space. * * *

"Now we're awaiting a decision from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor as to how we're going to proceed next," says DeYoung.

The county prosecutor tells NEWS 25, his office is still researching this case.

On April 16th News25 had a follow-up, by Marx Pyle:
EVANSVILLE - We have new information on the story we reported Thursday of patient files and prescription pads confiscated by police from an open, vacant medical building.

NEWS 25 learns no charges will filed against the Evansville doctor who owns the building.

Vanderburgh County prosecutors tell us they talked to the Indiana attorney general about the case, but could find no criminal wrongdoing.

Evansville police now tell us circumstances behind the find are suspicious.

Dr. Lotfi Hadad sent us a statement saying he is considering trespassing charges against the person who reported the files to police.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 18, 2010 09:19 AM
Posted to Indiana Law