22 Nov Alberta Hands First Ever Sentence for Violation of Health Privacy Statute
According to Alberta privacy officials, the verdict against a Covenant Health pharmacist that was made public last November 15 is expected to send a wake-up call to health-care workers and companies involved in handling of personal health information.
Pharmacist Basel Alsaadi was handed a sentence of 3 months house arrest and 3 months curfew by the Albert Court of Queen’s Bench for violating Alberta’s Health Information Act. Alsaadi was caught accessing demographic information, diagnostic images, and laboratory results of around 104 patients without proper authorization.
Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner Jill Clayton said that the sentence also highlights the need to fully implement the breach reporting and notification provisions for personal health information.
Source: Big Law Business
