The biggest threat to patients' medical records is theft of mobile devices like iPads and smartphones and not software hackers, according to a report by Mass Device.
Physical theft and loss account for more than 60 percent of all security breaches involving medical records in HHS investigations of incidents exposing 500 records or more. Hacking, including the recent software virus that exposed more than 2,000 patient records at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, made up 6 percent of reported incidents.
HHS reported more than 116 cases of data breaches from Sept. 2009-May 2011, exposing more than 1.9 million patient records.
Read the Mass Device report on mobile device theft.
Related Articles on Theft of Mobile Devices:
Laptops, Portable Media Represent Leading Cause of HIPAA Data Breaches
Tennessee Anesthesia Company Affected by Laptop Data Breach Involving 1,500 Patients
HHS Begins Posting Data Breach Information Online