Today, I read of at three separate instances where class-action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of people whose personal information had been breached at a healthcare company.  The largest lawsuit, filed against TRICARE, represents 4.9 million affected individuals and is seeking damages of $1,000 per record – a total of $4.9 BILLION. Wow!

This action or other similar lawsuits have yet to be reach court or settlement. Depending on the outcomes, potential costs of litigation and resulting awards to victims may emerge as the single most powerful financial driver to implement good information security in the healthcare industry. 

Next Thursday, January 21st, I will be giving a presentation at the Sun Horizons conference, “Healthcare Integration Through a New Perspective.”  My topic will be “Identity Management: Securing Information in the HIPAA Environment,”  I will explore how the complementary functionality of Identity Management and Master Patient Index technologies can enable effective management of Patient Consent Management, a vital requirement for online health information networks.

If you would like to discuss the topic or meet me in Washington, DC, please drop me a line.  After the event, I’ll post my presentation deck for review.