Tighten security at health agency

How alarming that an investigator for the state’s auditors was able to breach the security of the Kansas Health Policy Authority’s computer and filing systems and building, giving him access to the private information of Kansans on Medicaid and other programs. Marcia Nielsen, executive director of the authority, said it would implement the auditors’ recommendations and already has begun security training programs for employees. “The KHPA is very aware of the sensitive information we have and use to purchase health care for 360,000 Kansans,” she said. Kansans are counting on the authority to handle their personal information with greater care.

5 Comments

  1. Regular
    Posted September 2, 2008 at 6:45 am | Permalink

    “Kansans are counting on the authority to handle their personal information with greater care.”

    You bet.

    Probably a good idea to set up unannounced ‘raids’ and infiltrations to test the system. That is, as long as it is done in a reasonable, non-interrupting manner and no employee is singled out simply because of position.

  2. sunflower5
    Posted September 2, 2008 at 12:47 pm | Permalink

    This has been a problem for years and Marci Nelson has known about it. She might also tell the people about the 79% error rate on people applying for medicaid. Bet she hides from that one.

  3. WAR
    Posted September 2, 2008 at 5:45 pm | Permalink

    This is probably the only security issue that scares me among all the hype about security breaches recently. (By “recently” I mean since 9/11.) I don’t really care if the government wants to listen to my telerphone calls or monitor my e-mail. I don’t have anything I need to hide from the government. I don’t care if I have to jump through a few extra hoops before I get on an airplane. I can make time for that. It doesn’t bother me that I have to prove where I was born before I go to work for somebody. But the information that we’re talking about here, could and probably would be used by insurance companies and certain business concerns in the health care industry to discriminate against people (me included) on certain levels. And if they thought they could get it, there is no doubt in my mind they would try. Those are the people I need protection from, and that is the information I need protected.

  4. MaxGrobnik
    Posted September 2, 2008 at 8:05 pm | Permalink

    What?

    Our Government doesn’t protect our Privacy and Security?

    Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Just wait until National Healthcare and Government makes public EVERYTHING about our bodies!

    Right to Privacy? That’s the fictional Constitutional Amendment used to justify Baby Killing.

    Guess there’s no Privacy about medical records, when the Government is involved.

  5. DavidB
    Posted September 2, 2008 at 11:34 pm | Permalink

    Poor paranoid Max.