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...
United States District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody sentenced Rico Prunty, a 41-year-old resident of Sierra Vista, Arizona, to 54 months in prison for a criminal HIPAA violation. Prunty pleaded...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is set to end on May 11, marking the expiration of many pandemic-era support programs and lighter compliance obligations. As such, the HHS Office for Civil...
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $200,000 settlement with law firm Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy, & Bach LLP (HPMB) for failing to implement proper healthcare data...
HHS requested $78 million in funding for its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for FY 2024, signifying a $38 million increase from last year’s budget. The requested budget increase follows HHS’...
Asante, an Oregon-based health system, has informed patients about a HIPAA violation caused by a physician who compromised protected health information (PHI) without a valid clinical need. For nearly...
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced new restructuring efforts, including the formation of three new divisions, in order to better manage its increased volume of HIPAA and HITECH complaints...
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) delivered two reports to Congress that shed light on healthcare data breaches and HIPAA compliance efforts logged during the 2021 calendar year.
The reports...
US Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act, which offers strengthened HIPAA protections that would prohibit...
Improper disposal of protected health information (PHI), whether a paper record or a digital file, can result in HIPAA violations and significant fees.
For example, in 2020, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and the New Jersey...
Improper disposal of protected health information (PHI) can result in HIPAA violations, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigations, and hefty fines.
For example, in August 2022, OCR settled a case with a Massachusetts-based dermatology...
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached a settlement with California-based New Vision Dental (NVD), over a potential HIPAA violation. The practice paid OCR $23,000 and agreed to implement a...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and HHS updated their Mobile Health App Interactive Tool, designed to help mobile health app developers understand which data privacy laws apply to their apps.
The...
Hospitals and healthcare systems have implemented the necessary steps to protect patients and defend their networks from cyberattacks, but they need future support through cybersecurity policies to...
Following reports that patient data was transmitted to Facebook through the use of tracking technology on hospital websites and within password-protected patient portals, the HHS Office for Civil...
In a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) proposed updates to the Confidentiality...