The second round of HIPAA compliance audits has been put off until 2015 to give the OCR additional time to test its new internet portal. This next round of audits was initially scheduled to take […]
In the wake of high profile data breaches in recent months, in particular the breach of PHI across 209 hospitals run by CHS, compliance with HIPAA regulations is now high on the agenda, especially considering […]
The recently passed HIPAA Omnibus Rule, normally labelled as the Megarule due to its extensive amendments to existing legislation , updates the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) expanding its reach to include business […]
Violations of HIPAA regulations, failures to ensure compliance and for accidentally causing the privacy of patients to be compromised will lead to healthcare organizations facing heavy fines. Criminal charges may also be filed if it […]
An Illinois a class action lawsuit that arose from the Massive HIPAA breach affecting the healthcare provider last August has been thrown out by circuit court in Kane County. The incident possibly exposed the data […]
A civil action lawsuit arising from HIPAA violations caused by a physician at the Johns Hopkins Health System has been settled for a $190 million. The settlement arose due to a HIPAA Privacy Rule violation […]
Texan prosecutors recent;y filed an indictment in the Tyler District Court against Joshua Hippler, a 30-year-old former worker at an unnamed hospital in East Texas. In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act […]
Over the past year the number of reported violations of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations has gone through the roof. The Department of Health and Human Services has seen a massive increase […]
The state of healthcare compliance in the US has been reviewed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, following a survey carried out this summer. A report on the survey findings has now been released with the results showing that […]
A recent comparative study completed on mobile phone users on both sides of the Atlantic has shown the differences and similarities in opinions about the security of mobile phones and the data they carry. The […]
The largest ever financial penalty for violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules has been issued this by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the HHS […]
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has revealed that it is to restart HIPAA compliance audit program this fall. Phase 2 will include 350 compliance audits which will be carried out on healthcare providers, healthcare […]
Carrying out an in depth risk assessment is a requirement under the HIPAA Security Rule; however it can be a complex process calling for all potential security weaknesses to be identified. The process can be […]
A recent announcement from the Ponemon Institute has shown the serious threat cyber attacks pose the healthcare industry and should serve as a warning that security must be improved. The cost to the industry is massive. Data […]
The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services is moving closer to commencing the next round of HIPAA compliance audits issuing a notice in the Federal Register stating its intention […]
A new data security report issud by healthcare IT security firm Redspin suggests the number of data breaches made known to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has increased by 138% over the […]
All covered entities must submit annual reports of HIPAA breaches to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the deadline for filing 2013 breaches is coming quickly. While there is a requirement under […]
Windows XP will no longer be HIPAA or meaningful use compliant in six weeks on some or all workstations, so there is a deadline of April 8 for organizations to migrate to a new OS as […]
The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) has revealed that version seven of the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) – due to be issed later this month – will include a number of new privacy controls. HITRUST […]
President Obama is increasing up efforts to minimize gun violence; however some legal obstacles remain and the HIPAA Privacy Rule is currently obstructing the reporting of important information to the National Criminal Background Check System. […]
A new HIPAA security breach has been discovered in Virginia involving 919 patients from the Riverside Health System which runs five hospitals in the Southeast Virginia area. The data violation did not involve tens of […]
The a stolen laptop computer from a healthcare supplier belonging to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates, Inc. (MEEI) has lad to a settlement of $1.5 million with the HHS […]
The Office for Civil Rights and the Office of the National Coordinator have both recently provided guidelines and tips which healthcare professionals can use to ensure that their devices are made secure and ePHI is […]
Experian credit bureau has released a new report that predicts that 2014 will see a surge in data breaches. The report also foresees that the healthcare industry will most targeted. The report says that the […]
On 26th September, Lori Stein attended Cotton-O’Neil Diabetes and Endocrinology Center in Topeka and met with an endocrinologist for an appointment. Lori Stein´s checkup was standard in order to monitor her diabetes, but during her consultation she […]
Healthcare organizations and their business client are facing fines for non-compliance following the introduction of new regulations which secure the privacy of patients and the security of their personal information. The Omnibus Final Rule was […]
Many healthcare groups were unwilling to implement the use Google Apps because under the new HIPAA rules, Google would have to sign a Business Associate agreement; something the internet giant had not completed. Google has […]
The Privacy Rule amended the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to give people better controls over how their medical history can be used and disclosed to third parties. The Rule now prevents […]
The passing of the Omnibus Rule extended HIPAA’s reach to include business associates of HIPAA-covered bodies and requires them to comply with the same set of standards as the healthcare organizations with which they work. […]
Advocate Health Care, one of the nation’s biggest healthcare suppliers, has announced that it has experienced a major HIPAA security breach after four unencrypted laptops were illegally taken from the Advocate Medical Group administrative buildings […]
In a recent report from Spyglass Consulting, it is not just doctors who are signing up to medical BYOD schemes; nurses too are now registering and 69% of those polled said they bring their own […]
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles was selected by reality TV star Kim Kardashian and Rapper Kayne West as the hospital to have their daughter delivered. Their baby was born on June 15th, but three days […]
L.A Times has published an article which has revealed that a sequence of events has run which has now lead to in Shasta Regional Medical Center (SRMC) agreeing to a settlement of $275,000 for its […]
The accidental disclosure of electronic Protected Health Information stored on one of Idaho State University’s servers has led to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has issuing a large fine. The […]
Mobile devices being stolen may be one of the main causes of HIPAA breaches, although human mistakes can easily lead to patient health data being accessible, with Dent Neurologic the latest healthcare group to suffer […]
Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic arranged for its X-ray films to be brought up to date and converted to digital media, the healthcare organization sought external assistance from a third party vendor. After locating a supplier that […]
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the HHS has issued the largest ever financial penalty, $4.8m, for a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules. […]
Protected Health Information can easily be accessed by an unauthorized personnel if a document is left in a photocopier after copies have been made; however digital photocopiers can expose the personal health data of hundreds […]
A New York identity thief who stole the medical information of almost 1000 patients and committed $10.7 million in Medicare fraud has been found guilty of HIPAA violations by a New York federal court and […]
A 911 dispatch office in Monroeville, Pittsburgh is being reviewed for a possible violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) after failing to secure protected health information. The Office for Civil Rights […]
The HIPAA Omnibus Rule comes into today, March 26, and amends existing HIPAA regulations to provide greater security for patient data; extending the reach of HIPAA and changing regulations to bring them in line with […]
According to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, healthcare organizations must report data violations involving more than 500 people to the Office of Civil Rights and financial sanctions apply for HIPAA breaches; however […]
The passing of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009 updated HIPAA, and as such it obliged the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to […]
The theft of a portable hard drive from a staff member of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) possibly exposed the ePHI of almost 2,000 people. Following a review by the HHS […]
An official announcement has been released by the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General that a settlement has now been agreed with South Shore Hospital. The healthcare supplier will have to pay a fine of […]
Boston Children’s Hospital has released a press statement revealing a laptop issued to one of its staff member has been lost at a conference in Buenos Aires; possibly exposing the protected health records of 2,159 […]
Before publishing Protected Health Information on any public website it is vital that the medium is reviewed for security risks. If a website is owned or controlled by a third party or a cloud service […]
The Office for Civil Rights has released a statement confirming that a settlement has been agreed with Adult & Pediatric Dermatology, P.C., of Concord, Massachusetts after the accidental disclosure of almost 2,200 patients after a […]
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