HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Podcast - Data Privacy and Tracking Technology Compliance
Patient Data and Privacy
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
Cyber, Privacy, and Technology Report - Welcome to your monthly rundown of all things cyber, privacy, and technology, where we highlight all the happenings you may have missed....more
Healthcare organizations continue to be prime targets of cyberattacks. It is well-established that cyberattacks can lead to financial loss, reputational damage, and, in some cases, risks to patient care and safety. The recent...more
On February 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a new, final version of their guidance for...more
On February 16, 2024, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a final version of the cybersecurity resource guide (the “Guide”) with respect to the HIPAA...more
There has been a notable emphasis on proactive enforcement of the privacy and security of protected health information in recent weeks as evidenced by multiple developments regarding compliance with the Health Insurance...more
As previously reported in this blog, on Dec. 6, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or the Department) released a “concept paper,” which laid out its vision of future action regarding healthcare...more
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently submitted two annual reports to Congress setting forth a summary of complaints and breaches reported to the OCR during...more
A strong cybersecurity program can help defend against cyber attacks and protect sensitive patient data. Thanks to a 2021 amendment of the HITECH Act, when a breach occurs, it can also reduce enforcement penalties. The...more
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released an initial draft of Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule: A Cybersecurity Resource Guide (Resource...more
The US Department of Health Human Services (HHS) is seeking public comments about the appropriate role of “recognized security practices” in enforcement of the HIPAA Security Rule. Congress, through an amendment to the HITECH...more
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain industry feedback and inform potential future rulemaking regarding information...more
There is a glut of information out there regarding privacy and cybersecurity these days. Our new feature “What We’re Reading” provides a curated list of articles, blogs, newsletters, and books that you may find interesting...more
On January 21, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for...more
Recently, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency enforcing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach...more
UNITED STATES - Regulatory—Policy, Best Practices, and Standards - Cybersecurity Standards Issued for Government Contractors - On January 31, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and...more
Report on Patient Privacy 20, no. 2 (February 2020) - The year is still young, but the federal government has announced a potentially far-reaching privacy effort that should catch HIPAA compliance officers’ attention. And...more
UNITED STATES - Regulatory—Policy, Best Practices, and Standards - FTC Submits Comment on the Preliminary Draft for the NIST Privacy Framework - On October 24, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") announced that...more
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 28, Number 40. (November 11, 2019) - - In a new Medicare compliance review, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Angels Care Home Health in Salina, Kansas, didn’t comply with...more
Every year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) jointly sponsor a conference to “address the dynamic and challenging...more
Regulators, industry experts, and researchers provided insight into health privacy and security enforcement trends, emerging threats, and new tools at a recent conference focused on the Health Insurance Portability and...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
Your Organization’s best defense in an environment of aggressive regulators and litigious plaintiffs’ counsel is the completion of an enterprise risk assessment. Regulators and attorneys general are fining–sometimes hundreds...more
At the close of 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP): Managing Threats and Protecting Patients. While not formally styled as guidance or interpretive...more
Regulators provided key insights into enforcement trends and potential changes to HIPAA regulations at the 11th Annual “Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance Through HIPAA Security” conference in October...more
Earlier this week, I moderated a panel discussion at an event hosted by the New York chapter of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The panel was comprised of private sector health information...more