Updates to Statute 1557 that Healthcare Providers Need to Know
Privacy and Healthcare Business Associates with Isabella Porter
State Law Privacy Video Series | Healthcare Entities and Health Data
Gerry Blass on Healthcare Vendor Risk Management
AGG Talks: Technology - In the Balance: Interoperability and Security
Is Your Practice's Marketing HIPAA Compliant?
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Compliance Perspectives: Permissible Disclosures under HIPAA, Especially in the Time of COVID-19
Polsinelli Podcasts - Confusion to Clarity on the Future of the 340B Program
Polsinelli Podcast - HIPAA Changes Overview
Healthcare data breaches are occurring more frequently and on larger scales than ever before – and while you defend against cyberattacks and other external threats, make sure you do not overlook the critical role your...more
United Healthcare Group (UHG) CEO Andrew Witty was in a board meeting on Feb. 21 when officials interrupted with the news that Change Healthcare—a clearinghouse UHG subsidiary Optum had purchased for $1.3 billion in October...more
Late last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued its first HIPAA settlement agreement involving a ransomware attack. In the press release announcing the settlement, HHS stated that they began...more
Report on Patient Privacy 22, no. 1 (January, 2022) - As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, real “security fatigue” with pandemic-related issues will combine with cybercriminals’ increasingly sophisticated...more
Report on Patient Privacy 21, no. 12 (December, 2021) - Amid the letters of congratulations to new HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Lisa Pino is a plea from the American Hospital Association (AHA): “victims” of...more
Report on Patient Privacy 21, no. 11 (November, 2021) - Attorney Brad Hammer doesn’t always don a suit and tie, or what he calls his “lawyer’s uniform.” A privacy and security expert and founder of the Vakaris Group based...more
Report on Patient Privacy 21, no. 10 (October, 2021) - Conducting a risk analysis is a basic tenet of security compliance, with the overarching goal of understanding where protected health information (PHI) “lives” in an...more
Report on Patient Privacy 18, no. 1 (January 2021) - Security threats to health care entities will continue to escalate in 2021, as bad actors with significant capabilities target pandemic-weary organizations still...more
On April 7, 2020, the staff of the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a risk alert (Alert) informing investment advisory firms of the potential areas of focus for Form CRS-related examinations. In...more
Report on Patient Privacy 20, no. 2 (February 2020) - A ruling from Georgia’s highest state court could set a precedent that determines recourse for victims of cyberattacks. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled in late December...more
HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR)’s April 3, 2019 cybersecurity newsletter highlights one of the more challenging cybersecurity vulnerabilities faced by covered entities and business associates. OCR reminds covered entities...more
Apparently prompted by the recent high-profile wave of ransomware attacks, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has reminded hospitals, healthcare systems, and other covered entities and...more
HHS OCR issues checklist, iterative guidance in wake of WannaCry and Petya attacks; Anthem breach settlement provides additional lessons. Key Points: ..Healthcare organizations are particularly vulnerable to ransomware...more
HHS has published a very brief guide, in the form of a checklist, to explain the steps for a HIPAA covered entity or business associate to take in response to a cyber related security incident. You can access the checklist at...more
On June 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Civil Rights (OCR) released a cyber-attack “Quick Response” checklist (the Checklist) for the benefit of HIPAA covered entities and business...more
OCR released a simple checklist and infographic last week to assist Covered Entities and Business Associates with responding to potential cyber attacks. As cybersecurity remains a pressing concern for health care entities,...more
The FBI has issued new guidance specifically applicable to medical and dental facilities regarding the cybersecurity risk of File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”) servers operating in “anonymous” mode. FTPs are routinely used to...more
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced that the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) has agreed to settle an investigation against it as a result of a malware infection for $650,000, along with implementing a...more
On November 28, 2016, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an Alert to its listservs that a phishing email is being circulated on “mock HHS Departmental letterhead under the signature of OCR”s Director, Jocelyn Samuels”...more
The Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) has issued new guidance in connection with an increase of malicious cyberattacks, namely ransomware attacks on healthcare organization’s computer systems. Ransomware is a defined by HHS as a...more
Ransomware attacks appear to be increasing in frequency as well as severity. Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts data until a ransom is paid to the hacker. For healthcare providers, the inability to access...more
On July 11, 2016, the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance on HIPAA covered entities’ responsibilities in a ransomware attack, a type of cyber-attack that has targeted the health care sector extensively in...more
Ransomware is the fastest growing malware threat in the United States, targeting simple home computers to elaborate corporate IT networks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently reported an increase in ransomware...more
In response to a rising number of ransomware attacks on healthcare systems, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new ransomware guidance on the HIPAA obligations of...more
In response to the increasing prevalence of ransomware cyber-attacks by hackers on electronic health information systems in hospitals and medical practices, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil...more