On August 29, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) withdrew its appeal of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s June 20, 2024, decision in American...more
9/4/2024
/ American Hospital Association ,
American Hospital Association et al v Becerra Secretary Of Health And Human Services et al ,
Appeals ,
Cookies ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HIPAA Security Rule ,
OCR ,
Technology Sector ,
Tracking Systems ,
Web Tracking ,
Websites
On August 19, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) filed a notice of appeal of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s June 20, 2024, decision in American...more
8/28/2024
/ American Hospital Association ,
American Hospital Association et al v Becerra Secretary Of Health And Human Services et al ,
Appeals ,
Cookies ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
HIPAA Security Rule ,
OCR ,
Technology Sector ,
Tracking Systems ,
Web Tracking ,
Websites
In a consequential decision for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-regulated entities, on June 20, 2024, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled in American Hospital Association...more
On March 18, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an update to its December 1, 2022, bulletin titled “Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities and...more
3/22/2024
/ Business Associates ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Guidance Update ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Tracking Systems ,
Web Tracking ,
Websites
Several federal laws protect the “rights of conscience” of federally funded healthcare entities and healthcare providers and prohibit recipients of federal funds from requiring individuals to participate in actions that they...more
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and HHS Office for Civil Rights issued a rare joint press release announcing that approximately 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers received a letter alerting...more
7/24/2023
/ Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Hospitals ,
Joint Statements ,
Mobile Apps ,
OCR ,
Telehealth ,
Tracking Systems ,
Websites
The US Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has raised many questions about potential efforts by law enforcement agencies to obtain data from healthcare and...more
7/11/2022
/ Abortion ,
Biden Administration ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
OCR ,
Pregnancy ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS
Stay current on the healthcare enforcement issues impacting your business’ compliance strategies. In this installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Roundup, we address:
• Key areas of enforcement scrutiny in 2021,...more
4/2/2021
/ 1135 Waivers ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
OIG ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Revocation ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As healthcare providers face surging demand for services arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are simultaneously dealing with related equipment, space and workforce limitations. In this environment, the US Department of...more
4/1/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety
In this second installment of the Healthcare Enforcement Quarterly Roundup for 2019, we cover several topics that have persisted over the past few years and identify new issues that will shape the scope of enforcement efforts...more
8/16/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Mergers ,
New Guidance ,
New Rules ,
OCR ,
OIG ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry
Frequent regulatory and policy changes, increasing government scrutiny and private whistleblower activity pose greater risks to health care organizations more than ever before. McDermott’s Q2 Health Care Enforcement Roundup...more
7/30/2019
/ Compliance ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Cooperation ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitals ,
Opioid ,
Opt-Outs ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Telemedicine ,
Webinars ,
Whistleblowers
On April 26, 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Notification of Enforcement Discretion Regarding HIPAA Civil Money Penalties (the Notice) to inform the public...more
5/10/2019
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Eighth Amendment ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Breach ,
HITECH Act ,
OCR ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Settlement Negotiations
Lack of a sufficient risk analysis continues to be one of the most commonly alleged violations in Office for Civil Rights (OCR) HIPAA enforcement actions, appearing in half of all OCR settlements announced in the last 12...more