Patient Access to Health Information

OCR Settles 11 HIPAA Right of Access Cases

July 18, 2022 - The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced 11 HIPAA Right of Access resolutions. OCR created the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative in 2019 to support patients' right to timely and cost-effective access to their health records. "It should not take a federal investigation before a HIPAA covered entity provides patients, or their personal...


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OCR Announces Four HIPAA Enforcement Actions

by Jill McKeon

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced four HIPAA enforcement actions to hold healthcare providers accountable for potential HIPAA violations. Two of the actions stemmed from OCR’s HIPAA...

OCR Settles 5 HIPAA Right of Access Cases

by Jill McKeon

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of five cases under the HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. OCR created the initiative in 2019 in order to support patients' right to timely...

Status, Challenges of Information Blocking Rule Compliance

by Jill McKeon

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published its Information Blocking Final Rule in May 2020. Part of the 21st Century Cures Act, the rule defines information blocking as any practice that...

OCR Settles With West Virginia-Based DELC for HIPAA Right of Access Failure

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced it reached a settlement with West Virginia specialist Diabetes, Endocrinology & Lipidology Center (DELC) for $5,000, to...

HHS’ Proposed HIPAA Right of Access Changes: CHIME, ABHW Weigh in

by Jessica Davis

CHIME and the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness sent letters to the Department of Health and Human Services, in response to proposed changes to HIPAA. Among a range of concerns are...

OCR Settles With NJ Specialist for Over HIPAA Right of Access Failure

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced it reached a settlement with Village Plastic Surgery (VPS) to resolve potential violations of the HIPAA right of access...

Arbour Hospital Pays OCR $65K Over HIPAA Right of Access Violation

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services announced it reached a $65,000 settlement with Massachusetts-based Arbour Hospital, which resolved potential violations of the HIPAA right of access...

$70K OCR Penalty for Sharp Health Over HIPAA Right of Access Failures

by Jessica Davis

California-based Sharp HealthCare, doing business as Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers (SRMC), has agreed to a corrective action plan and to pay the Office for Civil Rights a $70,000 civil monetary...

Renown Health Pays OCR $75K for HIPAA Right of Access Failure

by Jessica Davis

The Office for Civil Rights reached a $75,000 civil monetary penalty and corrective action plan with Nevada-based Renown Health, to settle a potential violation of the HIPAA right of access...

Banner Health to Pay OCR $200K for HIPAA Right of Access Failures

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights reached a $200,000 civil monetary penalty and a corrective action plan with Banner Health, to resolve potential violations of the...

Elite Primary Care Pays OCR $36K for HIPAA Right of Access Violation

by Jessica Davis

Elite Primary Care in Georgia has agreed to a $36,000 settlement with the Office for Civil Rights to resolve a potential violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule's right of access...

OCR: Healthcare HIPAA Compliance Report Finds PHI Security Failures

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights released an audit report on HIPAA compliance in the sector from 2016 to 2017 based on reviews of selected healthcare covered entities...

Ohio Medical Center Pays OCR $65K for HIPAA Right of Access Failure

by Jessica Davis

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Ohio has agreed to a $65,000 settlement and a corrective action penalty with the Office for Civil Rights to resolve a potential violation of the...

NY Specialist Pays OCR $15K for HIPAA Right of Access Failures

by Jessica Davis

The Office for Civil Rights announced it reached a settlement with Rajendra Bhayani, MD, a private practice otolaryngology specialist based in Regal Park, New York for $15,000 and a corrective action...

OCR Settles with Psychiatric Provider for HIPAA Right of Access Violation

by Jessica Davis

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced it reached a $25,000 settlement with California-based Riverside Psychiatric Medical Group...

Dignity Health to Pay OCR $160K for HIPAA Right of Access Failure

by Jessica Davis

Arizona-based Dignity Health, doing business as St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (SJHMC), has agreed to corrective actions and a $160,000 enforcement action with the...

OCR Settles with 5 Providers Over HIPAA Right of Access Violations

by Jessica Davis

The Office for Civil Rights closed investigations and announced settlements with five providers over separate HIPAA right of access violations, which brings the total number of...

Ciitizen: ‘Significant Improvement’ in HIPAA Right of Access Compliance

by Jessica Davis

Ciitizen released its third Patient Record Scorecard, which found significant improvements in the number of providers in compliance with the HIPAA Right of Access rule. In fact, the number of...

Privacy Leaders: Congress, Not ONC, Holds Onus for Health App Privacy

by Jessica Davis

Industry stakeholders are urging the Office of the National Coordinator to release its proposed interoperability and information blocking rules without delay, in response to a recent push from EHR...