HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Podcast - Data Privacy and Tracking Technology Compliance
Patient Data and Privacy
2022 DSIR Deeper Dive: OCR’s Right of Access Initiative
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
Today, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of the Office of Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, one of just a dozen or so agencies reporting directly to the secretary....more
Nearly six years to the day that Warby Parker reported a breach affecting nearly 200,000 individuals, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) imposed a $1.5 million fine on the eyewear giant. Investigated by OCR under the Biden...more
Arecent report put the odds of an asteroid hitting the earth in December 2032 at 3.1%—which is 3,100 times more likely than an organization resolving an enforcement action with the U.S. Department of Health and Human...more
“Almost every stage of modern healthcare relies on stable and secure computer and network technologies.” The above is a direct quote from the Office of Civil Rights for Health & Human Services (“OCR”) in its proposed...more
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to update the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule—the...more
On January 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”) Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) published a proposed rule entitled, “HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Health...more
On January 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected...more
On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...more
On Dec. 27, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule to address evolving cybersecurity threats in healthcare. Introduced through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking...more
‘Tis the season for holiday baking and the elves at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), have been diligently crafting their own holiday treat. On December 27,...more
As the healthcare sector continues to be a top target for cyber criminals, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule (scheduled to be published in the Federal Register January 6). It...more
The deadline for compliance with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights’ (“OCR”) recent update to the HIPAA Privacy Rule is December 22, 2024 -- less than thirty days away. Last spring, OCR...more
On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a $90,000 settlement with Bryan County Ambulance Authority (“BCAA”), a provider of emergency medical...more
Change Healthcare Inc. has amended its initial breach report to the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to state that 100 million individuals were impacted by its mammoth ransomware attack and breach. However, as of Oct. 24,...more
On October 31, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a $500,000 settlement with Plastic Surgery Associates of South Dakota (“PSA”) concerning potential...more
Our Health Care and Privacy, Cyber & Data Strategy Groups cover an upcoming proposed rule from U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) that would formalize cybersecurity requirements and allow the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)...more
President Ronald Reagan famously quipped, "I think you all know that I've always felt that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."1 At an Oct. 23-24, 2024,...more
Before this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) resolved 70 breach investigations from which fines or civil monetary penalties were secured. Of those investigations, only...more
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) Director Melanie Fontes Rainer announced that OCR will resume auditing Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”)...more
In late September 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a settlement with Cascade Eye and Skin Centers, P.C., a health care provider in the state of...more
The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (OCR) announced on September 26, 2024, that it had entered a settlement with Cascade Eye and Skin Centers (together, Cascade) for $250,000 following...more
On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a significant settlement with Western Pennsylvania’s Heritage Valley Health System following potential HIPAA...more
Announcing its fourth ransomware cybersecurity investigation and settlement, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) also observed there has been a 264% increase in large ransomware breaches since 2018....more
If there is one thing artificial intelligence (AI) systems need is data and lots of it as training AI is essential for achieving success for a given use case. A recent investigation by Australia’s privacy regulator into the...more
While most entities that are subject to the HIPAA Security Rule spend considerable time and effort ensuring that they have implemented appropriate administrate and technical safeguards to protect the health information that...more