ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Web-based Tracking Technology and AI: HIPAA Compliance Issues for Health Care Practices
Hybrid Workforces and Compliance with Sheila Limmroth
HIPPA: Privacy & Security and Potential Rule Changes
A biotech company recently settled with three AGs over allegations that it had failed to protect consumer information. According to the AGs of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, this led to a 2023 data incident. The...more
In light of the changing legal landscape following Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Department of Health and Human Services (the “Department”) issued a final rule (link, and corresponding fact sheet link)...more
The practicing doctor (presumably) knows that he or she is (likely) subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). Less certain is whether said practitioner knows just what that means....more
On March 18, 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated its guidance on the use of online tracking technology by covered entities regulated by the Health...more
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and other government agencies aren’t just worried that providers understand—and mitigate—the privacy and security risks of telehealth. In fact, in 2022, the Government Accountability...more
While some of the legal requirements on your organization can seem overly burdensome, there are times when legal requirements also align nicely with what makes good business sense. Risk assessments in the healthcare industry...more
Happy Holidays! The December Monthly Minute includes a fiduciary checkup reminder and a look at HHS’ recent settlement stemming from a phishing attack that impacted ePHI of nearly 35,000 individuals....more
On October 11, 2023 the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion in Schneider v. Children’s Health Care holding that the Minnesota Health Records Act (“MHRA”) provision allowing health care providers to release health...more
On October 18, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two resource documents to help explain the privacy and security risks to patients’ protected health...more
On July 20, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“OCR”) announced that they had sent a warning letter to about 130 hospital...more
Report on Patient Privacy Volume 23, no 7 (July 2023) In two public talks this spring, Melanie Fontes Rainer, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), said completing the 2021 proposed regulation extensively...more
The start of 2023 has brought with it significant changes to data privacy – new state laws concerning data privacy came into effect January 1 (the California Privacy Rights Act and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act),...more
On December 1, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided guidance on the intersection of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the use of...more
Hybrid work is likely here to say, and, as Sheila Limmroth, privacy specialist at DCH Health System, and the author of the chapter Hybrid Work Environment in the Complete Healthcare Compliance Manual observes in this...more
March was a busy month for data privacy and security, especially as it relates to health care entities. To help keep you up to date with the changes, we’ve included a few highlights for you below... ...more
On February 9, 2022, US Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced bipartisan legislation designed to modernize health privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability...more
Virginia recently adopted a GDPR-inspired comprehensive data protection law for Virginia residents. What Are the Main Points Covered by Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA)? ...more
Imagine if a doctor could diagnose and treat an illness immediately after a quick non-invasive scan of your whole body. Does this sound like something out of the science fiction TV show Star Trek? ...more
On June 9, 2021, OCR distributed an update to those on its Privacy List sharing links to alerts and resources for addressing the growing number and size of ransomware incidents. One such resource included a White House memo...more
In December 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed major revisions to the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which would be the first significant changes to the Privacy Rule since the 2013 Omnibus Rule. ...more
There has been a significant development in the ongoing debate regarding the scope of the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) to issue penalties under the Health...more
On December 10, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed revisions to the HIPAA Privacy Rule that would significantly impact the day-to-day operations of HIPAA covered entities. In this...more
On December 17, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued its Industry Report on the HIPAA audits it conducted in 2016 and 2017. OCR found widespread noncompliance with...more
Recently, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency enforcing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach...more
On September 21, 2020, the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $1.5 million settlement with Athens Orthopedic Clinic, a Georgia orthopedic clinic, to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability...more