Update: See this article for a “nothing to see here” decision from the privacy commissioner.
Frances Cook reports:
A stoush has erupted over patient medical records, with a claim the privacy of up to 800,000 Auckland patients has been put at risk.
Four New Zealand and Australasian healthcare IT companies, Healthlink, Medtech Global, My Practice, and Best Practice Software New Zealand, have jointly contacted the Privacy Commissioner to flag the issue.
They said primary health organisation (PHO) ProCare Health was putting private information of up to 800,000 Auckland patients into a large database, including patient name, age, address, and all financial, demographic, and clinical information.
ProCare Health runs a network of community-based healthcare services, including GPs, throughout Auckland. It strongly denies patient privacy is being compromised.
Read more on New Zealand Herald.