By Matthew Fisher – The Office for Civil Rights continues to dig into reports about delayed access to records by covered entities. The initial flurry of resolutions from many years ago now has not necessarily resulted in a significant change of behavior, which is frankly a bit surprising.
Read More
By Matt Fisher – The pieces to the puzzle that is the use of tracking technology in healthcare continue to accumulate. The most recent piece was a summary judgment decision from the Northern District of Texas stemming from a lawsuit filed by the American Hospital Association along with a couple of hospitals.
By Art Gross – The OCR is preparing to launch a new round of audits in 2024 to assess compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule across the healthcare sector. After long delays, HIPAA-regulated entities can expect increased scrutiny on their security practices and risk management programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights published an update to the frequently asked questions webpage concerning the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident.
By Matthew Fisher – The OCR announced yet another settlement action involving the HIPAA Right of Access. It is a reminder that right of access remains a focal point for OCR even though cyberattacks formed the basis for settlements announced earlier in 2024.
By Art Gross – In a groundbreaking development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reached a settlement with Lafourche Medical Group, a Louisiana-based medical facility, following a phishing cyberattack that compromised the electronic protected health information of nearly 35,000 patients.
By Art Gross – In a watershed moment for the healthcare industry, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, recently finalized a $100,000 settlement with Doctors’ Management Services, a Massachusetts-based medical management company.
By Matt Fisher – The Office for Civil Rights is stepping up its attention to cyberattacks impacting healthcare organizations. After years of attacks impacting operations and the privacy of patient information, OCR is now flexing its HIPAA enforcement muscles on that front.
By Matt Fisher – Maintaining and protecting privacy for patients and healthcare information is important and necessary at all times. The requirement for keeping privacy applies no matter the circumstances, which can mean in the middle of a pandemic. The most recent HIPAA settlement announced by the Office for Civil Rights provides that reminder.