In 2004, when Bush administration officials unveiled a project to provide every American with an electronic health record by 2014, they pledged to put privacy and security first. But the discovery in April of stolen health records containing sensitive medical information about U.S. patients on a computer server in Malaysia controlled by cyber criminals indicates such records so far do not pass the privacy and security test.

Medical records are a “platinum card” for organized crime, which can rake in millions of dollars from false billings, said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum. Information generated from false claims entered into electronic medical records also can pose life-threatening risks to patients, she added.

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