Health Tech Podcast - Episode 3: HIPAA, HITECH and TCPA
The Biggest Changes in HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Rule & Recommended Action Steps—Ted Kobus
Last year, Congress enacted an amendment to the HITECH Act in January 2021 (“HITECH Amendment”) to require that the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) consider whether a covered entity or business associate has...more
Millions of women use reproductive health applications (or “apps”) to track menstrual cycles, ovulation, and pregnancy. These apps provide women that use the rhythm method for birth control and women seeking to become...more
Report on Patient Privacy 22, no. 5 (May, 2022) - Compared to other agencies, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a little fish in the big federal pond, but it has an outsize effect on HIPAA covered entities (CEs) and...more
Enforcement Actions - In its first announcement of enforcement actions in 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) simultaneously announced the resolution of three...more
Earlier this month, HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking comments on a statutory provision adopted last year that provides a quasi-safe harbor for entities that have voluntarily...more
Thanks to a federal judge, the Office for Civil Rights has modified its rules for sending records to third parties. Covered entities are no longer required by HIPAA to send non-electronic protected health information (“PHI”)...more
New guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reaffirms that business associates must have proper HIPAA compliance practices, safeguards and documentation in place...more
The HITECH Act extended certain HIPAA obligations to business associates, including those entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information (“PHI”) on behalf of covered entities. Business...more
Nary a week goes by without news of a data breach by a healthcare provider…while there are certainly a good number of breaches resulting from a breach of cybersecurity defenses or from the wrongful exploitation of system...more
Secretary Tom Price of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced his agency needs “to focus more on the most recent breaches and clarify when entities have taken action to resolve the issues that might...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a new guidance regarding HIPAA compliance and the use of cloud computing solutions. The guidance is intended to assist covered entities...more
On June 30, 2016, the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the first-ever settlement of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) claims against a business associate. According...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
We welcome this guest blog by Gene Fry, Compliance Officer, Scrypt, Inc. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data. This means that any...more
If you sponsor a group health plan that is subject to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, it is time to review and revise your policies and procedures and re-train your employees regarding the proper procedures when...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
The long awaited HIPAA/HITECH Final Rule became effective March 26, 2013, but covered entities, business associates and subcontractors will have until September 23, 2013, to fully comply. ...more
If you are a health care provider and/or someone who routinely performs work involving patient health information on behalf of a health care provider, you likely need to know about the HIPAA/HITECH Final Rule....more
In This Issue: - Key Provisions In the Final Omnibus HIPAA/HITECH Rules and What They Mean for You - NLRB and EEOC May Target Employer Efforts to Keep Employees Quiet During Internal Investigations -...more
On January 25, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the highly anticipated Omnibus Rule, which makes extensive changes (as promulgated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and...more
The final rule implementing new obligations under HITECH and changing obligations under HIPAA is finally out. Covered entities and business associates need to come into compliance with these requirements by September 23,...more
On January 17, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released final regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which implement changes made by the Health...more
Final HIPAA privacy and security regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services will require action by group health plan sponsors by September 2013....more
The Department of Health and Human Services recently released final regulations modifying the HIPAA Privacy, Security Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules (the “Omnibus Rule”). These regulations have far-reaching effects...more
In This Issue: - A Baker's Dozen of Significant Changes From the HIPAA/HITECH Rule 1. Business Associates and Subcontractors 2. Breach Notification 3. Covered Entity Organizational Structures 4. Cloud...more