HIPAA and Compliance News

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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...

Pandemic-Era Telehealth Rules Set to Expire in May, Shifting HIPAA Compliance Obligations

by

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...

HHS Requests $78M in Funding For OCR in Next Fiscal Year

by

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’...

HHS Restructures OCR to Better Handle Increased HIPAA Complaint Volume

by

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...

DOJ Finalizes FTC Settlement With GoodRx Over Alleged Health Breach Notification Rule Violations

by

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have officially resolved allegations against GoodRx surrounding violations of the FTC Act and the Health Breach Notification...

HHS Delivers 2 Reports to Congress On Healthcare Data Breaches, HIPAA Compliance

by

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...

Advent Health Partners Agrees to $500K Healthcare Data Breach Settlement

by

Advent Health Partners has agreed to pay a $500,000 settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit stemming from a 2021 healthcare data breach that affected more than 60,000 patients. Advent Health...

Banner Health Pays $1.25M to Resolve HIPAA Security Rule Investigation

by

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled with Banner Health following a HIPAA Security Rule investigation stemming from a 2016 data breach. Banner Health agreed to pay $1.25 million to OCR and...

OCR Settles HIPAA Right of Access Case With Georgia Lab

by

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with Georgia-based Life Hope Labs following a potential HIPAA right of access violation. Life Hope Labs, a full-service diagnostic lab in Sandy...

OCR Resolves HIPAA Right of Access Case With FL Primary Care Practice

by

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached a HIPAA right of access settlement with Health Specialists of Central Florida. The primary care practice paid OCR $20,000 to resolve the potential HIPAA...

OCR Settles Potential HIPAA Violation After Dental Practice Discloses PHI on Yelp

by

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...

FTC, HHS Update Mobile Health App Data Privacy Compliance Tool

by

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...

OCR Outlines Proper Use of Tracking Tech to Maintain HIPAA Compliance

by

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...

HHS Proposes New Rule to Align 42 CFR Part 2 With HIPAA

by

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...

5 Former Methodist Hospital Employees Indicted Over HIPAA Violations

by

Five former employees of Tennessee-based Methodist Hospital have been indicted by a federal grand jury for committing HIPAA violations, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of...

OCR Releases Video On Recognized Security Practices Under HITECH

by

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released an educational video presentation on recognized security practices (RSPs) under HITECH. Nick Heesters, senior advisor for cybersecurity at OCR, presented...

Recent Articles