The HIPAA Omnibus Rule (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Omnibus Rule) was drafted in July 2010; however the final release has been put off until this month some of the concerns raised […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has just received a joint settlement of $1,975,220 for the potential breaches of HIPAA arising following the theft of a laptop storing […]
Less than one month after Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reached a settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General for HIPAA violations after a laptop was stolen containing unencrypted PHI, Boston Children’s Hospital has been fined for […]
A security breach that has potentially impacted almost 13,000 patients has been announced by Hand & Upper Extremity Centers. The breach happened at Thousand Oaks, CA-based Hand Rehabilitation Specialists (HRS). While it is unclear when the […]
An review has been completed into a privacy violation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Bedford Memorial hospital, in a case which photographs and videos of a patient’s genitals were captured by hospital staff […]
Almost 70 patient files containing sensitive personal and medical data have been found in an alley in Denver, CO. The files include details of patients’ medical histories, insurance information, and Social Security numbers – The […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, earlier in 2017, settled a case with Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital to resolve alleged breaches of HIPAA following a 2014 impermissible disclosure of […]
In June 2014, hackers succeeded in accessing to a database controlled by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and the secured health information of 1.1 million of its members. The types of information exposed due to the hack included […]
Aetna is facing a class action lawsuit following a privacy breach that saw the HIV positive status of up to 12,000 individuals disclosed against the patients’ wishes. The individuals names and addresses were visible during […]
In a release yesterday, HHS Secretary Tom Price stated that OCR will waive sanctions and financial penalties for specific Privacy Rule violations against hospitals in the Hurricane Harvey disaster area. This waiver is only […]
The Data Protection legislation in the United Kingdom is aims to protect British internet users’ privacy has come at a time when the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is about to take effect. […]
The General Data Protection Regulation will have drastic changes on how businesses collect and use personal data in Europe. These new privacy regulations will stop the tendency of advertising agents relying on shared data to […]
The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule (45 CFR §§ 164.400-414) states that all covered entities must notify the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights of a breach of unsecured protected health information and issue notification letters to […]
The Breach Barometer mid year reviews has been released by Protenus, in conjunction with Databreaches.net. This report covers all data privacy breaches reported in health care over the past 6 months. It provides valuable insights […]
Cases of staff members accessing on medical records are relatively common, although an incident at Tewksbury Hospital in Massachusetts stands out duration of time that an employee was accessing medical records without authorization before being […]
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule allows patients to view the health information held by their providers. According to a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) release there is only a […]
In June 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it was considering updating its data breach portal – commonly referred to as the OCR ‘Wall of Shame’. Section 13402(e)(4) of the HITECH Act […]
ONC National Coordinator Don Rucker, M.D., has confirmed that the office will be closed out in fiscal year 2018 due to the cuts to the budget of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information […]
Dropbox is a widely-used file hosting service operated by many organizations to share files, but what about protected health information? Is the service HIPAA compliant? Dropbox beleives it now supports HIPAA and HITECH Act compliance […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a reminder to all covered entities and business associates of the possible risks associated with file sharing and collaboration tools, outlining […]
Health insurance provider Aetna, based in Hartford, CT has found that the protected health data of more than 5,000 plan subscriber has been released online and was accessible to the public through search engines. Aetna […]
A ransomware attack on medical supply company Airway Oxygen Inc., in April 2017 may have led to the protected health information of 500,000 individuals being accessed by cyber attackers. No evidence of data access or […]
The largest data breach settlement officially recorded has been agreed by the health insurer Anthem Inc. Anthem suffered the largest healthcare data breach ever reported in 2015, with s cyberattack leading to the theft of […]
The UK government’s desire to grant police and intelligence agencies access to encrypted messages goes against the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that is set to take effect from 2018. The UK’s primary objective for […]
A data breach that happened in October 2015 should have seen affected people notified within 8 weeks. However, it took CoPilot Provider Support Services Inc., until early 2017 to issue data breach notifications. An administration […]
Beginning from 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has been publishing summaries of healthcare data breaches on its website, a list is often referred to as OCR’s ‘Wall of […]
News publishers feel that the ePrivacy regulation proposals which complement the General Data Protection Regulation will lead to concentration of EU digital citizens’ data in the custody of few global firms such as Apple, Google, […]
The recent ransomware attacks and healthcare IT security incidents have driven the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights to release a reminder to covered entities about HIPAA Rules on security breaches. In its […]
Failure by British Companies to comply with the General Data Protection Rule will bring substantial monetary penalties of up to 4% of global annual turnover, or £20million, whichever is greater. These sanctions will apply to […]
Iliana Peters, Office for Civil Rights Senior Advisor for HIPAA Compliance and Enforcement, has given an update on OCR’s enforcement activities in a recent Health Care Compliance Association ‘Compliance Perspectives’ podcast. OCR reviews all data […]
The Trump administration has revealed its 2018 fiscal budget with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) both facing […]
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center Inc., has paid OCR $387,200 to resolve potential HIPAA violations identified during an OCR investigation of a complaint about a disclosure of PHI without permission. In September 2014, OCR was informed […]
A $2.4y m settlement has been agreed by Memorial Hermann Health System with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to settle potential HIPAA Privacy Rule violations The settlement arises […]
A class action lawsuit has been filed following an allegation claiming that telemedicine company MDLive violated the privacy of patients by releasing sensitive medical information to a third party without informing, or obtaining consent from, […]
CardioNet, a Pennsylvania-based provider of remote mobile monitoring and rapid response services to patients at risk for cardiac arrhythmias, has agreed a $2.5 million settlement to resolve potential HIPAA violations. Compensation settlements have, in the […]
Patient records held by the New York Organ Donor Network must be turned over to a plaintiff, and that the request cannot be denied based on HIPAA, following a ruling made by a New York Supreme […]
A legal action has been taken action against a Denver, CO-based federally-qualified health center (FQHC), by Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for security management process failures that contributed to […]
Indications are that 2017 will be another record breaking year for healthcare data violations. Results for the first quarter of 2017 show data breaches have risen, with rises in theft incidents, hacks and unauthorized disclosures. […]
The Kentucky-based 6-hospital health organization Med Center Health has reported a data violation affecting around 160,000 patients. Med Center Health believes a former staff member may have stolen patients’ protected health information (PHI) prior to […]
The politics surrounding Brexit negotiations may present significant challenges to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance for UK companies as well as the cross-border data flow. In case the United Kingdom ceases to belong […]
Following the appointment of Roger Severino as head of OCR many human rights organizations have expressed concern over due to the views he views regarding transgender people and same-sex marriages. Mr Severino has written a number […]
Former civil rights trial attorney Roger Severino has been appointed by The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has a new leader by The Trump Administration. Mr Severino will lead the […]
A medical physician at the Dr. O Medical and Wellness Center in San Antonio, Texas allegedly retaliated against a patient by posting a recorded video of the person wearing only underwear on Facebook and YouTube. […]
With Phase 2 of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights HIPAA compliance audits now well underway, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has updated its HIPAA audit readiness toolkit. […]
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows patients to access a copy of their medical records in electronic or paper form. In 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services released a series of […]
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) has agreed to pay a $1.1 million fine for failing to protect the electronic protected health information of almost 690,000 plan members. The New Jersey […]
The official deadline for reporting 2016 healthcare data breaches which impacted fewer than 500 people is March 1, 2017. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s Breach Notification Rule states that all covered bodies must […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), equaling last year’s record HIPAA settlement with Advocate Health, announced that a $5.5 million settlement had been agreed with Florida-based Memorial Healthcare Systems to settle […]
In January 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights issued a communication to covered entities in relation to the late reporting of data breaches following the announcement of a settlement […]
The Children’s Medical Center of Dallas has paid a civil monetary penalty of $3.2 million to resolve multiple HIPAA violations spanning several years. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) […]
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation offers safeguards for people against the risks that a damaging automated decision is undertaken without the intervention of a human. Computerized decisions relate to decisions made following automatic […]
Covenant HealthCare has advised more than 6,000 patients that their electronic medical records were inappropriately accessed by one of its staff members. The improper access was identified during a November 2016 review of EMR access […]
The first HIPAA settlement of 2017 has been announced by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR). This is also the first settlement to date specifically based on an unnecessary […]
MAPFRE Life Assurance Company of Puerto Rico – A subsidiary of MAPFRE S.A., of Spain – has agreed a $2.2 million settlement, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, […]
During her campaign to become Republican state senator for Virginia in 2015, Henrico County physician Siobhan Dunnavant, M.D., impermissably used patients’ contact information – classed as protected health information under HIPAA Rules – to garner […]
Over the past two weeks, the number of organizations that have had their MongoDB databases accessed, copied, and deleted has been on the rise. Ethical Hacker Victor Gevers found in late December that many MondoDB […]
The European Union law that governs personal electronic data management known as General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will make the penalties for breaches tough and raise the reputational risk. The previous rules, to some extent, […]
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) has agreed to a $650,000 settlement with The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) . The settlement resolves HIPAA breaches that contributed to the university […]
The Health Information Trust Alliance and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) and t(HITRUST) have revealed a new collaboration. The aim is to lessen – and hopefully completely prevent – redundant assessments and their […]
St. Joseph Health (SJH) has agreed, with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules for the sum of $2.14 million. […]
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued updated guidance on HIPAA and healthcare cloud computing to help covered bodies use the cloud without risking a HIPAA breach. The main emphasis of the guidance […]
Following the violation of the privacy of patients WakeMed Health and Hospitals has been ordered to pay a fine of $70,000 by a North Carolina Bankruptcy Court. The violations happened when submitting proofs of claim […]
OCR normally to settles HIPAA compliance issues through voluntary compliance and non-punitive means, although financial penalties are now becoming more the norm. If OCR investigators find HIPAA violations, financial penalties may be issued. Fines of […]
The investigation into the 2015 Bizmatics data breach by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has closed. The breach, which was identified in late 2015, affected many of the company’s […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has revealed it will be increasing the amount of investigations of small PHI breaches with immediate effect. violations impacting less than 500 individuals […]
A major number of cases of abuse of nursing home and assisted living center residents have been seen recently. The cases have seen the taking of degrading and demeaning photographs and videos of residents by […]
In 2016, WTHR 13 carried out an investigation into the improper disposal of sensitive data by pharmacies. The investigation was initiated following a theft that took place at the home of an Indiana resident. A […]
A former staff member of Tampa General Hospital has been convicted of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information and wire fraud. Shanakia Benton was accused of illegally obtaining the protected health information of patients during […]
In a recent report released by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, a third of hospitals do not have sufficient HIPAA-compliant EHR contingency plans in place, although the majority are “largely addressing” […]
Following the 2.7 million HIPAA breach settlement with Oregon Health & Science University is news of yet another multi-million-dollar settlement with another university. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights revealed […]
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has agreed to settle a case with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights which arose from two data breaches suffered in 2013. A penalty […]
Cyberattacks on healthcare groups are now commonplace and, as long as it is profitable for hackers to attack healthcare organizations, the cyberattacks will continue. Given the number of healthcare data violations now being reported, it […]
Catholic Health Care Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) has agreed to settle alleged HIPAA violations with the OCR and has agreed to put in place a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). CHCS will also […]
Recently an officer from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) found a number of medical records in a recycling dumpster, accessible to the public, in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis. A quantity of confidential documents were […]
Recently, the head of the House Select Investigative Panel tasked with reviewing the trade of baby body parts by abortion clinics corresponded with the director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights asking […]
In a recent ruling the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found that a former town administrator of Townsend, MA., violated the HIPAA Privacy Rule in June last year. This […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has fined New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) $2.2 million for permitting patients to be filmed for a TV show without receiving prior permission […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has revealed a compensation settlement has been agreed with Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic, P.A., of North Carolina over alleged breaches of HIPAA Rules. Raleigh […]
A legal case has been initiated in Federal Court in San Jose, California by cancer patients who claim they have had their privacy violated after visiting the websites of cancer institutes. The plaintiffs allege that […]
Data violation notification laws in Tennessee have been reviewed to better protect state residents. The new law requires organizations to issue breach notifications to state residents more quickly, while the range of information covered has […]
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has settled potential HIPAA violations for $3.9 million with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. This is the second largest settlement penalty agreed with OCR, […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has revealed it has reached a settlement with North Memorial Health Care of Minnesota over what is claimed were HIPAA violations arising from a 2011 […]
The Office for Civil Rights encourages suggestions from HIPAA-covered bodies about aspects of HIPAA that are unclear or need further clarification. Some of the inquiries submitted via the OCR website indicate some covered bodies are […]
A report of an investigation into South Carolina’s Medicaid agency by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General has been published The investigation was carried out in 2013 following the […]
OCR has revealed it has come at a settlement with a Los Angeles-based provider of physical therapy services after the discovery of HIPAA Privacy Rule breaches in 2012. Complete P.T., Pool & Land Physical Therapy, […]
OCR has ordered a HIPAA-covered entity to pay civil monetary penalties for HIPAA breaches. Lincare Inc. must to pay $239,800 for violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule which were found during the investigation of a […]
A recent survey carried out by Legal Workspace suggests that many are not. In fact, most health attorneys are not in adherence with HIPAA Rules and have failed to implement the appropriate technical, administrative, and […]
A nursing assistant from the Parkside Manor assisted-living center in Kenosha, WI., has been fired from her job for recording a video of a practically naked 93-year-old Alzheimer’s patient and sharing it on Snapchat. Recently […]
TigertText has revealed the launch of two new communication solutions for healthcare providers. The two new devices have clear potential, and could convince many healthcare providers to start replacing pagers and faxes. The new products, […]
The healthcare industry trails well behind every other industry sector when it comes to implementing new technology. It is an acknowledged fact that the sector appears to dear change, even when those alterations stand to […]
Microsoft will be stopping support and security updates for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 as of Wednesday January 12, 2016. All users of Internet Explorer must switch to Internet Explorer 11, or make the […]
Organizations operating in Oregon must now adhere with a new data breach law that came into effect on January 1, 2016. If a data breach that exposes the personal information of more than 250 state […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has started 2016 with the launch of a brand new website interface, and has now followed up on previous assurance by issuing new guidance […]
The FTC has also ordered Henry Schein Practice Solutions, Inc., to pay a fine of $250,000, and the company must also comply with a 20-year consent order after a recent ruling said the company had […]
The Department of Health and Human Services has revealed a final rule permitting certain covered bodies to disclose specific elements of Protected Health Information (PHI) to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), altering […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights website has completed a redesigned recently, upgrading with new features, a responsive design and a more user-friendly feel. The redesign was part of the […]
The Allina Health System Minneapolis Isles clinic has notified around 6,000 patients of a breach of their Protected Health Information (PHI). The clinic, located at 2800 Hennepin Avenue, found instances of improper PHI disposal had […]
The Office for Civil Rights recently release its first financial penalty to an organization that experienced a data violation after its staff responded to a phishing campaign. The case lead to The University of Washington […]
New cybersecurity measures specifically for the healthcare industry have been added to the Omnibus bill signed into law by Congress late last week. The aim of their inclusion is to help healthcare organizations tackle the […]
TigerText, the largest supplier of secure text messaging solutions, has revealed the its latest initiative, TigerText Anywhere: A HIPAA compliant secure texting app for desktop computing. TigerText’s HIPAA compliant text message platform has already been a […]
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