Enforcement of Electronic Health Records
Technology in Healthcare
Tax Developments Affecting Health Care Organizations and Investor-Owned Hospital Companies
Privacy revisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may be on the horizon, with some potential changes that could benefit both patients and the healthcare industry. Other changes, if...more
Dive into a broad spectrum of topics affecting healthcare organizations. Explore the latest laws, regulations, and developments to help you effectively manage your organization’s privacy compliance program. Our Academies are...more
A tricky issue for mobile health app developers since the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released its first “Health App Use Scenarios & HIPAA” guidance back in 2016 has been deciphering whether the developer is a business...more
Dr. Steven A. Porter, M.D., P.C. (Dr. Porter’s Practice) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) entered into a $100,000 no-fault settlement agreement and two year...more
Report on Patient Privacy 20, no. 3 (March 2020) - A gastroenterologist in Utah who felt he was being held captive by an electronic health record (EHR) vendor found his 2013 complaint to the HHS Office for Civil Rights...more
Report on Patient Privacy 20, no. 2 (February 2020) - The year is still young, but the federal government has announced a potentially far-reaching privacy effort that should catch HIPAA compliance officers’ attention. And...more
On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a notice (the OCR Notice) regarding individuals’ right of access to health records in response to a January 23, 2020...more
Google Health’s Partnerships Raise Privacy Concerns - Recently, Google has been at the center of privacy concerns due to its health- sharing collaborations with the University of Chicago Medical Center (the Medical Center)...more
On April 18, 2019, the Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued five new FAQs addressing the applicability of HIPAA to the use of software applications (apps) by individuals to receive health...more
The federal Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights, which enforces HIPAA, maintains a website with very helpful "frequently asked questions" (FAQs) regarding the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule....more
There are inherent risks in any vendor relationship. In the healthcare industry, with myriad regulatory pitfalls, the stakes can be even higher. Several customers of the cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) software...more
On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act (the Cures Act) into law. The Cures Act addresses a wide range of healthcare topics including clinical research, treatment of mental health and substance...more
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights recently posted guidance clarifying that a business associate such as an information technology vendor generally may not block or terminate access by a...more
OCR’s Compliance Guidance for Health Care App Developers - The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently provided guidance (in the form of six “real-life” scenarios) to help...more
On February 5, 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) released a long-awaited proposed rule to modify the confidentiality rules that apply to patient identifying information generated by federally...more
This Week: The House and Senate were out for Presidents’ Day recess... The Senate to vote on FDA Commissioner nominee Califf after 5:30 today... Medicare Advantage rates announced....more
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) announced that it had entered into a settlement agreement with St. Elizabeth's Medical Center (SEMC) in Brighton,...more
Where HIPAA and Meaningful Use intersect, does the newly released Meaningful Use Stage 3 proposed rule provide greater clarity or create more confusion? As discussed in our earlier advisory, the Meaningful Use Stage 3...more
On January 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its plan to propose changes to the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program (EHR Incentive Program). According to CMS, the rule will address...more
Ebola has recently been the source of much concern, and health care providers and hospitals are taking steps to prepare themselves for the possibility of treating patients with Ebola. In addition to all of the medical...more
In the wake of the recent Ebola cases, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a new bulletin reminding HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates that the...more
On Oct. 6, 2014, a final rule issued jointly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will require all HIPAA-covered labs...more
12,915 complaints were reported in 2013 to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) according to Illiana L. Peters, Senior Adviser for HIPAA Compliance and Enforcement. Cozen O’Connor...more
While OCR enforcement activity has focused on a covered entity’s safeguarding of ePHI, organizations cannot forget about PHI in non-electronic form. To settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Parkview Health...more
The most recent Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) HIPAA enforcement action serves as an important reminder to health care providers of the security risks associated with a mishandled medical records custody transfer and the...more