HIPAA and Compliance News

OIG Finds Serious Misuse of Medicare Data Transactions by Pharmacies

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The Department of Health and Human Service Office of the Inspector General recently discovered widespread inappropriate access and use of Medicare beneficiary data by pharmacies and other healthcare...

Judge Rules Against HHS Over HIPAA Right of Access Third-Party Fees

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Washington, DC US District Court Judge Amit Mehta issued a blow to the Department of Health and Human Services for its 2013 HIPAA Right of Access rule around third-party requests for patient records,...

Key Elements for Secure Business Associate Agreements, Relationships

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The healthcare sector relies on a vast number of third-party vendors, supply chain businesses, and other business associates to ensure relatively seamless care transactions. But with each transaction...

Sen. Warner Digs into DHA Over Exposed Army Medical Center Images

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Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia is scrutinizing the Defense Health Agency’s cybersecurity practices, as the sensitive medical data of servicemembers continues to be exposed online due to unsecured...

ONC Draft Federal Health IT Strategy Puts Privacy, Security in Focus

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The Department of Health and Human Services released its proposed Federal Health IT Strategy for 2020 to 2025, developed with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology....

Health Plans Struggle with HIPAA Compliance, Unprepared for Audit

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Many health plan group sponsors are struggling to remain or are not fully compliant with HIPAA rules. Further, those same healthcare organizations are not prepared for a HIPAA audit, according to new...

HSCC Tells HHS: Include Patching in Stark Law Cybersecurity Donations

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The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute should include patching and update language in...

Proposed Bill Would Close HIPAA Gaps, Curb Health App Privacy Risks

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Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, unveiled legislation on June 14, focused on closing privacy gaps in HIPAA, which does not currently cover tech like health apps,...

Oklahoma Hospital Sued for Alleged HIPAA Violation Over Drowning

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McAlester Regional Health Center (MRHC) in Oklahoma is being sued for an alleged HIPAA violation for sharing information on a boy’s drowning with his biological mother, reported the Pauls Valley...

How Does HIPAA Apply to Wearable Health Technology?

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The use of wearable health technology is expected to expand substantially within the next few years. Wearable devices offer many health tracking capabilities, including measuring heart rate, number of...

New York Suspends Nurse for HIPAA Violation Affecting 3K Patients

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The state of New York has suspended Martha Smith-Lightfoot, a former nurse at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), for a HIPAA violation. Smith-Lightfoot admitted to disclosing PHI when...

Did EMS Worker Commit HIPAA Violation With Facebook Post?

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Did an emergency medical services (EMS) worker in Roane County, Tennessee, commit a HIPAA violation with a Facebook post that described the peculiar location of an emergency response—a...

Why Providers Need a Disaster Recovery Plan for EHR Security

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Whether healthcare providers are working to prepare for potential natural disasters like hurricanes or manmade cybersecurity issues (i.e., ransomware attacks, insider data breaches) having a disaster...

How HIPAA Rules Apply with Law Enforcement Investigations

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HIPAA rules are meant to protect patient information, but what happens when there is a law enforcement investigation? Are police officers allowed to demand PHI without a warrant? That issue was...