It’s a HIPAA first. A business associate has settled a direct enforcement action over allegations that it potentially violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This settlement portends future...more
8/3/2016
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Covered Entities ,
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
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Financial Institutions ,
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Settlement Agreements
For the first time, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has entered into a Resolution Agreement with a business associate over allegations that it potentially violated the Health...more
Protecting patient information is a central duty for both covered entities and business associates under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Should a HIPAA-subject entity ever fail to protect...more
As we previously reported, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched Phase II of its audit program on March 21. Since that time, a significant amount of new information has emerged, including details regarding the...more
The Phase 2 audit program for HIPAA compliance is under way. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it had launched the Phase 2 audits to examine and assess how covered...more
The Phase 2 audit program for HIPAA compliance now is underway — and financial institutions are on the list as potential targets. Many financial institutions are business associates under HIPAA, usually because of their...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been highlighting the threat posed by “ransomware”—when an organization is locked out of its own systems and files by cyber criminals who...more
Feb. 29, 2016, a/k/a Leap Day, is the date by which HIPAA covered entities must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of “small” breaches of unsecured protected health...more
On Feb. 9, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule putting forth amendments to the Alcohol...more
For only the second time in its history, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has imposed a civil money penalty (CMP) on a covered entity for allegedly violating the HIPAA...more
Much like a tornado watch, the conditions appear to be right for a coming storm: the upcoming Phase 2 HIPAA audits. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has begun verifying contact...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently announced a new settlement with a small pharmacy, Cornell Prescription Pharmacy (“Cornell”). OCR alleged that Cornell was disposing of...more
Passage of H.B. 1078 sets a 45-day notification deadline, adds additional notice requirements Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed H.B. 1078 into law on April 23, revising the state’s data breach notification statute and...more
On March 17, 2015, Premera announced a data breach involving the personal information of more than 11 million individuals resulting from what it characterized as a sophisticated, targeted cyber-attack. Employers and plan...more
On Feb. 4, 2015, Anthem announced a data breach involving the personal information of more than 80 million individuals resulting from what it characterized as a sophisticated, targeted cyber-attack. Group health plans may be...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued its first settlement under new OCR Director Jocelyn Samuels earlier this month. This latest settlement serves as a reminder that a...more
The Massachusetts Attorney General announced Friday that her office had reached a settlement with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) surrounding a 2012 data breach in which a physician’s unencrypted personal laptop...more
In the wake of the recent Ebola cases, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a new bulletin reminding HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates that the...more
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the reopening of the submission period for hardship exception applications for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals that have been unable to fully...more
On Sept. 18, 2014, California’s governor approved Assembly Bill 1755, extending California’s stringent breach notification deadline for medical information breaches from five business days to 15 business days for clinics,...more
Business associate agreements that have not already been updated as required by the HIPAA Omnibus Rule should be updated by September 22, 2014.
The Omnibus Rule changed and added mandatory language for valid business...more
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued two reports to Congress, as required by the HITECH Act. The compliance report details OCR’s enforcement activities for 2011 and 2012 and...more
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is considering significant changes to the “Part 2” regulations (the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse...more
On May 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a press release announcing that two health care organizations—New York and Presbyterian Hospital (“NYP”) and Columbia...more
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently presented information about the new look of its Phase 2 audit program. The new audits will look little like the old ones, with OCR conducting the audits itself and focusing on...more