Health Tech Podcast - Episode 3: HIPAA, HITECH and TCPA
The Biggest Changes in HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Rule & Recommended Action Steps—Ted Kobus
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has, as part of its mandate, the responsibility to enforce the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule....more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently published an executive summary (Report) outlining key enforcement activities of the Health Insurance Portability and...more
Healthcare organizations continue to be prime targets of cyberattacks. It is well-established that cyberattacks can lead to financial loss, reputational damage, and, in some cases, risks to patient care and safety. The recent...more
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released a final rule modifying 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) provisions regarding the confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records. The...more
Editor’s Note: PYA and Foley & Lardner hosted the 6th Annual “Let’s Talk Compliance” two-day Virtual Conference on January 18 and 19, 2024. Panelists included Foley & Lardner attorneys and PYA experts. The event was hosted by...more
Proposed changes to the federal substance use disorder law will increase provider efficiency and alignment with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In a move that seeks to decrease administrative...more
An amendment to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed into law on Jan. 5, 2021, directing U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider "recognized security practices"...more
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH Act") established financial incentives under Medicare and Medicaid for eligible health care providers that adopt, implement, and demonstrate use...more
Last week the Health Care Compliance Association hosted its annual “Compliance Institute.” Iliana Peters, HHS Office for Civil Rights’ Senior Advisor for HIPAA Compliance and Enforcement, provided a thorough update of HIPAA...more
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) must improve its oversight and enforcement of patient information privacy and security rules by “covered entities” and their business associates under the Health Information Portability...more
On September 29, it was revealed that the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will commence Phase 2 of its HIPAA audit program in “early 2016.” OCR’s revelation regarding the Phase 2 audits, which had been the subject of...more
Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (HHS OCR) have recently selected a vendor to conduct the second wave of HIPAA audits. These so-called “Phase 2 Audits” are set to commence...more
The office of US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recentlyannounced plans to perform "pre-audit" HIPAA compliance surveys of 800 Covered Entities and 400 Business Associates. Under the...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to launch its long-awaited HIPAA audit program sometime in 2014. The audit program will be run by HHS’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which is likely eager to get...more
On December 5, 2013, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported on the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) compliance as of May 2011 with oversight and enforcement of the Security Rule and compliance with federal cybersecurity...more
On December 26, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS) announced that it had reached an agreement with a Northeastern dermatology practice to settle potential HIPAA violations...more
Don’t look now, but another HIPAA deadline is just around the corner. As we noted last month, the deadline is looming for employer-sponsored health benefit plans to come into compliance with U.S. Department of Health...more
September 23, 2013 is the fast-approaching compliance deadline for the final omnibus HIPAA/HITECH rules. Many provisions required revisions to Notices of Privacy Practices (NPPs) maintained and distributed by covered...more
There are now less than 60 days left for covered entities and business associates to implement provisions set forth in the final omnibus HIPAA/HITECH rules issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in...more
If you haven’t focused on HIPAA lately, now is the time....more
“HIPAA is a valve, not a blockage,” stated HHS OCR Director Leon Rodriguez, at the OCR/NIST 6th Annual Conference on Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security....more
A recently issued government rule may unknowingly create significant liability and legal risk for many technology enterprises. The expanded definition of "business associates" and related interpretations by the Department of...more
On January 25, 2013, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published the long-awaited omnibus final regulation governing health data privacy, security and enforcement (Omnibus...more
To paraphrase a famous quote, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it," and providers who ignore the significance of the federal government's healthcare fraud enforcements efforts in 2012 do so at their...more