We just want to provide a friendly reminder that, before key staff depart for the holidays, HIPAA covered entities and business associates should finalize their compliance with the 2024 HIPAA amendments related to...more
12/19/2024
/ Compliance ,
Covered Entities ,
Data Privacy ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
New Amendments ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Settlement
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week released final amendments to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to further protect the privacy of protected health information (PHI) related to reproductive health care....more
4/29/2024
/ Attestation Requirements ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HITECH Act ,
New Amendments ,
Patients ,
PHI ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues
On April 27, 2023, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the My Health My Data Act (the "Act"), which will regulate the collection, use, and disclosure of "consumer health data" ("Consumer Health Data" or "CHD"). The...more
5/2/2023
/ Business Associates ,
Covered Entities ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
OCR ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
PHI ,
Private Right of Action
HIPAA-covered entities must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of "small" breaches of unsecured protected health information that were discovered during calendar-year 2022 no...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a bulletin on December 1, 2022, clarifying that "regulated entities are not permitted to use tracking technologies in a manner that would...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced four enforcement resolutions at the end of March 2022, with issues ranging from the misuse of protected health information (PHI)...more
On January 21, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed changes to the privacy rule (Privacy Rule) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This Notice of Proposed...more
Telehealth is an essential tool in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic as well as in treating other ailments during this time. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently issued a...more
Contrary to the glacial speed often attributed to the government, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is trying to accelerate adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve healthcare....more
In a Rare Imposition of HIPAA Civil Monetary Penalties (CMPs) Rather than Settlement, What to Accept May Have Been the Question -
On October 23, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights...more
March 1, 2019 is the date by which HIPAA covered entities must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of “small” breaches of unsecured protected health information that were...more
When a patient publicly disparages a health care provider, HIPAA leaves the health care provider in a seemingly impossible situation. If the health care provider does not respond and dispute the allegation, then its...more
HIPAA and 15-minutes-of-fame are not compatible. In September 2018, the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that it had reached settlements with Boston Medical Center...more
Recent statements at the 27th National HIPAA Summit suggest that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) may be changing its position and expecting a greater level of vendor due...more
What if Artificial Intelligence (AI) is deployed within a health system to apply machine learning to patient information, in part, to allow patients to download information and wellness numbers (such as steps, blood pressure,...more
March 1, 2018 is the date by which HIPAA covered entities must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of “small” breaches of unsecured protected health information that were...more
There has been confusion as to whether the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provision (“ACA”) affects a covered entity’s notice of privacy practices (“NPP”) or data breach notifications. OCR has issued guidance...more
On January 18, 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”) published a final rule amending 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”), with an effective date that...more
On February 1, 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas (“Children’s”) has paid a civil monetary penalty (“CMP”) of $3.2 million...more
March 1, 2017 is the date by which HIPAA covered entities must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of “small” breaches of unsecured protected health information that were...more
As the health care sector further embraces the benefits of cloud computing, numerous challenges have arisen with applying HIPAA to cloud computing services....more
In an unusual action, a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“SNPRM”) accompanied the recent final rule on 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”) governing the confidentiality of certain substance use disorder information. On...more
A stolen unencrypted USB drive led to a $2.2 million settlement and a Resolution Agreement. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on January 18th a settlement with MAPFRE Life...more
The Phase 2 audit program for HIPAA compliance is under way. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it had launched the Phase 2 audits to examine and assess how covered...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been highlighting the threat posed by “ransomware”—when an organization is locked out of its own systems and files by cyber criminals who...more