News & Analysis as of

Privacy Laws Office of Civil Rights Compliance

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

From $5,000 to $800,000: Days Apart, OCR Security Settlements Show Puzzling Math

A single incident that may have started as a personal vendetta or an extortion threat seven years ago has cost a Florida health care system $800,000, and comes on the heels of an unrelated breach suffered by a different...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Former OCR Director Fontes Rainer Reflects On ‘Imperfect’ RSP Law, Urges Final Security Reg

In October, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) fined Providence Medical Institute (PMI) $240,000, an amount that reflected a 20% discount for having “recognized security practices” (RSPs) in place. But many more covered...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

OCR Loses Staff, Faces Move to New ‘Enforcement’ Office; Will HIPAA Focus, Independence Suffer?

Today, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of the Office of Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, one of just a dozen or so agencies reporting directly to the secretary....more

Foley Hoag LLP - Security, Privacy and the...

HHS OCR Settles HIPAA Security Rule Investigation with Health Fitness Corporation

On March 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement of HIPAA security rule claims involving Health Fitness Corporation (Health Fitness). Health Fitness...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

$1.5M Warby Parker Fine a Holdover; OCR Focuses On Men in Sports, Antisemitism, ‘Biological Truth’

Nearly six years to the day that Warby Parker reported a breach affecting nearly 200,000 individuals, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) imposed a $1.5 million fine on the eyewear giant. Investigated by OCR under the Biden...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

We’ll Take the Fine: OCR’s ‘Unwarranted,’ Costly Demands Prompted Hospital’s $538K Payment

The saga that led Children’s Hospital Colorado to accept a fine of more than $500,000 imposed by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began on July 11, 2017, when a physician’s email account containing details on 3,300...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Healthcare Privacy

Husch Blackwell LLP on

On April 22, 2024, the Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy Final Rule. The final rule limits the sharing of protected health...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

With Nod to OCR, Indiana Inks $350K Deal With Dental Firm Following Hack

Recent federal enforcement actions have brought home the lesson that there’s really no acceptable reason for denying a patient timely access to medical records. Last year, for example, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR)...more

McDermott Will & Emery

ASTP Adopts New Protecting Care Access Exception

McDermott Will & Emery on

On December 17, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP) published the Health Data,...more

Ropes & Gray LLP

Biden Administration Finalizes Its Last Changes To Health Data Interoperability and Information Blocking Regulations

Ropes & Gray LLP on

In December 2024, the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (“ASTP/ONC”) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published two...more

Stevens & Lee

Compliance Deadline Imminent: HIPAA Final Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy

Stevens & Lee on

Around the corner is the Dec. 23 deadline to have your organization bring its HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices into compliance with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights Final Rule modifying...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Disclosure of Full Record to Employer Results in $35K Fine, Broad CAP; Echoes of 2017 HIV Case

It’s not immediately obvious why someone would want to disclose a health care test result as part of a job application. But one such request spurred a Pennsylvania entity to provide a lot more than that: it sent her whole...more

Holland & Knight LLP

HIPAA Tidings: A Look at OCR's Recent Enforcement Actions

Holland & Knight LLP on

In addition to holiday celebrations, the month of December typically ushers in a final round of enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and 2024 is no...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Recognized Security Practices ‘Saved’ Covered Entity $60K of $300K Fine, But Which Ones Remain a Mystery

Covered entities (CEs) and business associates (BAs) may receive a “discount” for having recognized security practices (RSPs) in place when the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) calculates financial penalties for Security...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Privacy Briefs: November 2024

Change Healthcare Inc. has amended its initial breach report to the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to state that 100 million individuals were impacted by its mammoth ransomware attack and breach. However, as of Oct. 24,...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

2nd Settlement Triggered by 2017 Ransomware Attack Costs WA Practice $100K; ‘Not a Breach’

Let’s review for a moment. It’s not a HIPAA violation to be a victim of ransomware. It’s not a HIPAA violation to pay a ransom. It’s up to the covered entity (CE) to determine if a security or privacy incident is a...more

Ankura

Navigating the Fallout: Essential Insights for Healthcare Companies in Light of the Change Healthcare Cyber Breach

Ankura on

The cyber breach at Change Healthcare in 2024 stands out as one of the most significant cyber-attacks in recent memory. Its repercussions extend far beyond immediate industry disruptions, resonating deeply in regulatory...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

HHS Abandons Appeal in Public Website Pixel Case, But CEs and BAs Should Expect Continued Scrutiny

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has abandoned its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling overturning OCR’s guidance prohibiting covered entities (CEs) and business associates (BAs) from using the web-tracking technologies...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

What does the HIPAA final rule regarding reproductive health information mean for your organization?

On April 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service Office for Civil Rights issued a final privacy rule to support reproductive health privacy. The rule does not allow the sharing of reproductive health...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

An inside view of HIPAA enforcement

While many healthcare providers are generally aware of their obligations under HIPAA, most do not have a clear sense of what happens if they fail to meet these obligations. At best, most probably are familiar with headlines...more

ArentFox Schiff

OCR Finalizes HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy

ArentFox Schiff on

On April 26, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published a Final Rule that adds protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

[Event] Healthcare Privacy Compliance Academy - July 15th - 18th, Charlotte, NC

Ideal for professionals with some compliance knowledge and experience, HCCA’s Healthcare Privacy Compliance Academy offers practitioners a deeper understanding of effective compliance management in a healthcare setting. The...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

[Event] Healthcare Privacy Compliance Academy - May 6th - 9th, San Antonio, TX

Ideal for professionals with some compliance knowledge and experience, HCCA’s Healthcare Privacy Compliance Academy offers practitioners a deeper understanding of effective compliance management in a healthcare setting. The...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

‘An Unknown Individual Walked In’: Protecting Against Telehealth Risks Includes Non-IT Threats

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and other government agencies aren’t just worried that providers understand—and mitigate—the privacy and security risks of telehealth. In fact, in 2022, the Government Accountability...more

Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA)

Privacy Briefs: November 2023

Report on Patient Privacy 23, no. 11 (November, 2023) The American Hospital Association (AHA) is urging federal lawmakers to intervene with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) so that hospitals and health systems can...more

39 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 2

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide