HIPAA and Compliance News

OCR Reaches $1.3M Settlement With LA Care Over Potential HIPAA Violations

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LA Care, a Los Angeles-based health plan, agreed to a $1.3 million settlement and corrective action plan (CAP) to resolve potential HIPAA violations uncovered during two HHS Office for Civil Rights...

HHS, FTC Publish Warning Letters Sent to Healthcare Entities Over Third-Party Tracking Tech

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In a document that spans hundreds of pages, HHS and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published letters sent to 130 healthcare organizations regarding the security and privacy risks of third-party...

UnitedHealthcare Resolves HIPAA Right of Access Case With $80K Settlement

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached a settlement with UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company (UHIC) to resolve potential HIPAA right of access violations. UHIC, a health insurer that provides...

HHS, FTC Warn Hospitals and Telehealth Providers About Third-Party Tracking Tech

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a joint letter to 130 hospitals and telehealth providers to emphasize the security and privacy risks of third-party...

Lawmakers Ask HHS to Expand Proposed HIPAA Rule, Require Warrant For PHI

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Spearheaded by United States Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Patty Murray (D-WA), and US Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA), lawmakers sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera urging the...

Examining Health Data Privacy, HIPAA Compliance Risks of AI Chatbots

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AI chatbots, such as Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have sparked continuous conversation and controversy since they became available to the public. In the healthcare arena, patients...

OCR Reinforces Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication in Healthcare

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Strong authentication practices can help healthcare organizations mitigate breach risk and maintain compliance, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reminded covered entities in its June 2023...

HHS Settles HIPAA Investigation With Healthcare Business Associate

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled a HIPAA investigation involving iHealth Solutions (also known as Advantum Health), a healthcare business associate that provides coding, billing, and IT...

24 Attorneys General Express Support For Bolstering Reproductive Care HIPAA Protections

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The Biden Administration recently proposed amendments to HIPAA that aim to protect patients and providers from prosecution in relation to the provision of reproductive healthcare. In response to the...

Medical Record Snooping Case Leads to $240K HIPAA Settlement

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached a HIPAA settlement with Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital to resolve a medical record snooping case involving 23 security guards. Yakima Valley Memorial...

HHS Reaches Settlement With NJ Provider Over Potential HIPAA Privacy Rule Violations

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with Manasa Health Center, a psychiatry provider in New Jersey, over a potential HIPAA Privacy Rule violation. According to an April 2020...

AHA Urges OCR to Suspend or Amend Online Tracking Guidance

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The American Hospital Association (AHA) urged the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to reconsider its December 2022 Online Tracking Guidance, suggesting that its definition of protected health...

FTC Issues Health Breach Notification Rule Enforcement Action Against Fertility App

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged that Easy Healthcare Corporation, the company that operates the Premom Ovulation Tracker app, violated the Health Breach Notification Rule by failing to...

OCR Settles HIPAA Investigation With Revenue Cycle Management Company

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled a HIPAA investigation with MedEvolve, an Arkansas-based business associate that provides revenue cycle management, practice management, and practice...

OCR Resolves HIPAA Right of Access Case With Pennsylvania Therapist

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled a potential HIPAA right of access violation with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based licensed counselor David Mente, MA, LPC. The psychotherapy provider must...

Lawsuit Strikes 90 Degree Benefits After 181K-Impacted Data Breach

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90 Degree Benefits, a health insurance company, is in hot water as a proposed class-action lawsuit emerges, following a data breach that jeopardized the privacy of more than 181,543 individuals. The...

Washington State Passes My Health, My Data Act to Safeguard Health Data Privacy

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Washington state Governor Jay Inslee signed the My Health My Data Act (House Bill 1155) into law, bolstering health data protections for Washington residents. The act aims to modernize the...

Data Breach Lawsuits Tied to Tracking Pixel Use On the Rise In Healthcare

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As data breach notifications tied to the use of tracking pixels continue to surface, experts have observed a wave of lawsuits following close behind. BakerHostetler observed more than 50 lawsuits being...

Ex-Methodist Staff Plead Guilty to Illegal PHI Exposure in HIPAA Violation Case

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Six individuals, including five former Methodist Hospital employees, face sentencing for HIPAA violations after pleading guilty to the unauthorized disclosure of personal health information (PHI)...

HHS Proposes Rule to Strengthen HIPAA Protections For Reproductive Healthcare Data

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The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with the goal of strengthening HIPAA Privacy Rule protections for those seeking and delivering reproductive...