Privacy? Don't be Absurd

So you think your medical records are safe?

Guess again.

A letter, dated Dec. 31, 2012, arrived, from Omnicell Inc., which “provides automated medication dispensing services” (whatever that means) for Sentara and other healthcare providers, appeared January 2, 2013, six weeks after a theft of medical information.

Apparently, someone ravished your records, if you had been a patient at one of Sentara’s myriad outposts in Tidewater between October 18 and November 9, 2012.

On the night of November 14, 2012, an Omnicell electronic device issued to an Omnicell employee was stolen from his locked car, the letter said.  

We don’t know if the electronic device was a laptop or a flash disk because 

Omnicell didn’t tell us in the letter.

Omnicell didn’t tell us the name of the employee, though we know he was male.

Omnicell also didn’t tell us why an employee would have this data on an ‘electronic device’ in a car.

But, rest assured.

Omnicell investigated.

And here are their conclusions from the investigation.

The device “may have” contained clinical and demographic information about you, including your name, birth date, patient number and medical record number, the letter said.

Additionally, one or more of the following clinical information “may have” been involved.

What follows is a list of records on the device, including admission and discharge date, name of hospital, room, number, medication name and dose and frequency, among other data.

May have contained? May have contained? Either the device did or didn’t. But in corporate speak, it must mean the language in the letter contains a legal loophole.

Rest assured – again.

Omnicell wanted to notify you and assure that the company is taking the matter seriously.

How seriously?

Omnicell recommends that YOU monitor your medical insurance statements for any evidence of fraudulent transactions using your identity.

And if YOU suspect any fraudulent transactions have occurred, YOU should contact your local law enforcement agency or the state attorney general.

So the burden is on YOU, the patient.

As we all know and have experienced, discussing a suspicious charge with an insurance company is the equivalent of rolling a rock up a hill only to have it roll back down again.

So what is Sentara’s responsibility for hiring Omnicell? I suppose none, since the letter was sent by Omnicell and signed by CEO, Randy Lipps.

The next time you sign documents at the hospital giving Sentara or other healthcare providers permission to contract with third parties, remember this incident. 

Omnicell Inc., based in Mountain View, California, is a publicly traded company whose stock is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol OMCL. 

It’s share price was $15.36 at the close of the exchange yesterday.

Omnicell bills itself as a “leading” provider of medication and supply management solutions and analytics software for healthcare facilities.

If you have questions, go ahead and contact one of these executives, who comprise the company’s board of directors.

Randall A. Lipps Randall A. Lipps founded Omnicell in September 1992 and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since that time. 

James T. Judson James T. Judson has served as a Director of Omnicell since April 2006.
 
Randy Lindholm Randy Lindholm has served as a Director of Omnicell since May 2003.
Vance MooreVance Moore has served as a director of Omnicell since May 2012. Mr. Moore is senior vice president—operations of Mercy Health.
 
Mark Parrish Mark Parrish joined the Omnicell Board in January 2013. Mr. Parrish is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TridentUSA Health Services.
 
Gary S. Petersmeyer Gary S. Petersmeyer has served as a Director of Omnicell since January 2007. Mr. Petersmeyer is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aesthetic Sciences Corporation, a research-based medical device company focusing on elective surgery applications.
 
Donald C. Wegmiller Donald C. Wegmiller has served as a Director of Omnicell since May 2004. Mr. Wegmiller is Chairman of the Healthcare Group of Clark Consulting, a firm with expertise in executive compensation and benefit design, financing and plan administration.
 
Sara J. White Sara J. White has served as a Director of Omnicell since April 2003. Ms. White is a Clinical Professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco.
 
Joseph E. Whitters Joseph E. Whitters has served as a Director of Omnicell since May 2003. Mr. Whitters is Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer for First Health, a $2.5 billion market capitalization managed healthcare company serving the group health, workers compensation, and state agency markets.