The Department of Justice recently reported that in fiscal year 2021, it received more than $5.6 billion in settlements and judgments. Of that total, over $5 billion relates to matters that involved the health care industry....more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued guidance regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) privacy rule (the “Privacy Rule”) in the...more
10/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Entities ,
Disclosure ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
OCR ,
Personal Information ,
PHI ,
Vaccinations
On February 24, 2021, the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“OCR”) announced that it will not impose penalties against covered entities or their business associates that use online...more
3/4/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Entities ,
Data Storage ,
Encryption ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
OCR ,
Penalties ,
PHI ,
Secure Scheduling ,
Vaccinations
As the country prepares to end the fight against COVID-19, questions regarding the distribution of vaccines have understandably been at the forefront of the minds of Long-Term Care Facilities (“LTCF”). Indeed, those questions...more
12/10/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
First Responders ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Nursing Homes ,
Patients ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations
On October 20, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) settled two religious discrimination complaints involving access to clergy during the Public Health Emergency. Both complaints arose from a hospital’s failure to permit...more
10/30/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Clergy Members ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
First Amendment ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Hospitals ,
OCR ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Accommodation ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Visitors
On April 17, 2020, Governor Jim Justice issued a new executive order requiring that all residents and staff members of West Virginia nursing homes be tested for COVID-19. This executive order includes residents and staff...more