New Developments in Health Information Policy
New HIPAA Final Rule: Key Changes to Reproductive Health Care Privacy - Thought Leaders in Health Law®
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
Earlier this year, the New York legislature passed the New York Health Information Privacy Act (New York HIPA), establishing strict requirements for handling health data. The legislation shares similarities with Washington’s...more
Just in time for setting a new year’s resolution, the New York Senate passed health privacy bill S-929. This bill was first introduced during the 2024 legislative session but failed to pass. Now in the early weeks of 2025,...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
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 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
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
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
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
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
The Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidance clarifying how HIPAA’s Privacy Rule permits covered entities (in particular, health care providers and health plans) or their...more
Partner Reece Hirsch recently attended and spoke at the 2020 Health Datapalooza held in Washington, DC. This year, Health Datapalooza was co-located with the National Health Policy Conference, providing attendees with an...more
School leaders are often understandably confused as to which law applies to health- or medical-related records in schools: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or the Health Insurance Portability and...more
Recent high-profile news articles have drawn public attention to large technology companies’ access to medical information. As a result, health care entities need to prepare for questions about this topic and increased...more
Business associates may want to use a covered entity’s protected health information (“PHI”) for the business associates’ own purposes, e.g., for their own product development, data aggregation, marketing, etc. However, with...more
Proposed Modifications to HIPAA Regulations under Consideration - On December 14, 2018, HHS issued its Request for Information on Modifying HIPAA Rules to Improve Coordinated Care as part of its Regulatory Sprint to...more
Recent experiences of major health care companies offer a reminder of the importance of data security and following a well-written policy for compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule....more