User profile: Randy

The selling of face sheets is not a lapse: it is deliberate criminal conduct. It is one thing to not follow every proper protocol to protect patient information. It is another entirely for a rogue employee to surreptitiously take information and sell it.

This article is the coup de grace. It is a positive that UMC is auditing itself to improve its employees' compliance with HIPAA. The Sun has managed to take that positive and attempt to tie it to something that is an entirely different animal and thereby cast UMC in a bad light.

I will say it again. If the Sun were truly concerned about safeguarding the public, it would have held its story about the selling of information long enough for UMC and Metro to design a sting and expose the perpetrator(s). It is unfortunate that the Sun has chosen to allow the perpetrator(s) an opportunity to remain concealed in favor of grabbing headlines.

It's truly unfortunate that the Sun chose to put grabbing headlines ahead of catching the perpetrator(s). UMC and Metro could have launched a sting to catch the criminals, and maybe even identify the lawyers who are paying for this stolen information. Don't break your arms patting yourselves on the back.

Tom, with all due respect, did you point out that my access to the Sun online is free in order to support the premise that the Sun is NOT motivated to grab headlines and sell papers? The whole premise of your argument is nonsensical, and it appears that you are simply attempting to kill the message by killing the messenger.

Furthermore, as I look at advertising on this very web page, I realize that the Sun receives advertising revenue from readers accessing this web page. I'll restate the original premise (with a corollary): the Sun is motivated to grab headlines, sell newspapers and sell advertising, both in print and online.

In addition to your feeble attempt to divert attention from the Sun's misdeeds by insulting me, you have also mischaracterized the facts of the hospital's knowledge. The hospital only knew of a RUMOR; according to Marshall's story, it did not actually have the patient information necessary to attempt to trace a source until hours before the Sun ran this story. Since the rumor was not confirmed until the source gave the Sun documents, any attempt to equate the evidence given to the Sun with the rumor given to UMC is utterly disingenuous.

And please, do not attempt to wrap the Sun in the cloak of saving the public. The Sun's actions have ensured that the public will remain at risk because, thanks to the Sun, UMC and Metro have lost the element of surprise they will likely need to catch the perpetrator.

Unfortunately, the Sun's "aggressive" action has blown real opportunities for UMC and Metro to solve this crime, now that UMC finally has a small portion of the evidence that Marshall's source gave him. The Sun knowingly and deliberately chose to place selling newspapers and advertising over solving a crime.

As a lawyer, I can say that I have heard rumors for decades that information about accident victims was being sold from all area hospitals to personal injury lawyers. To the best of my knowledge, there has been any hard evidence od such, until now.

The real shame is that Marshall Allen and the Las Vegas Sun are not much better than the personal injury lawyers who engaged in such conduct: Allen, the Sun and the personal injury attorneys have all sought to profit from this situation. The attorneys sought insurance money and the paper sought headlines in order to sell more papers.

Had this story not been run, and had the Sun cooperated with UMC, Metro could have run a sting and might have caught the perpetrator(s), just like they did when an employee was stealing from the Lied clinic. Unfortunately, the Sun's greed has now put the individual(s) perpetrating this crime on high alert while UMC is in no better position to determine who did it.

Thank you for your public service, Mr. Allen and Sun editors. You have put profits ahead of stopping this crime. I hope you can defend your decision.

WHAT A HYPOCRITE! Sisolak is the major proponent to reject the Fisher bid on the northern beltway project in favor of the union Las Vegas Paving. So hiring a worker at the County at a higher cost = bad. Hiring a union paving contractor at a $5,000,000 higher cost = good? Sisolak cannot claim the fiscal responsibility mantle.

Wake up people! This guy is the biggest grandstander on the County Commissioner since Erin Kenny. He will do whatever he can to get his oversized melon on TV. He even skipped out of the County Commission meeting to do TV interviews, missing out on a number of votes.