A healthcare provider delivering pain management services in Florida and other states faces a $1.19 million civil monetary penalty from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR)....more
Many HIPAA covered entities and business associates struggle with developing and implementing a sanctions policy. What should it say, is zero-tolerance required, do we have to impose discipline in every case, etc. These are...more
Users of Universal Health Services (UHS), one of the largest healthcare systems in the country, recently lost access to electronic medical records when UHS suffered a ransomware attack and took its systems offline to...more
On May 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced an agreement with Touchstone Medical Imaging, LLC (Touchstone)...more
In December 2018, twelve state Attorneys General ("AGs") jointly filed suit against Medical Informatics Engineering, Inc. (“MIE”) claiming it violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its related...more
The virtual world offers opportunities and obligations not found in nature. For a couple of years, my wife has followed the adventures of a bonded eagle couple, Liberty and Freedom, residing in the hills near Hanover,...more
According to a recent U.S. Government Interagency report, ransomware is the fastest growing malware threat, targeting users of all types. An incredible 51 percent of respondents in a January 2017 study by the Ponemon...more
On April 12, 2017, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a settlement and corrective action plan with a Colorado federally-qualified health center, Metro Community Provider Network (“MCPN”), after a 2012 breach of...more
On February 16, 2017, HHS OCR announced that Memorial Healthcare Systems (MHS) had paid the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) $5.5 million to settle potential violations of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced a $750,000 fine and resolution agreement, including a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), for Cancer Care Group, P.C. (CCG), a...more
HIPAA relies heavily on risk analysis in multiple contexts. For example, risk analysis has a major role in the Breach Notification Rule under the new regulations issued by the U.S. Department Health and Human Services on...more