In what could be the largest intentional wholesale breach of online privacy in history, NBC News is reporting that the Obama administration has turned over its campaign data base to a newly formed advocacy organization being set up to help ramrod administration policy through Congress. Although it is likely that individuals in the database might … Read more
In response to the release last week of the new HIPAA “mega” regulation, the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released a proposed sample of a Business Associates Agreement that includes requirements of the new Regulation. The sample is not a required form, but provides a broad form for healthcare providers who do not … Read more
Hospice of North Idaho settles HIPAA security case for $50,000 The Hospice of North Idaho (HONI) has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) $50,000 to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. This is the first settlement involving a breach … Read more
In another case that appears to be aimed at getting physician groups to take HIPAA compliance seriously, CMS has bumped the finalcial risks dramatically with the most recent fine announcement. which takes the largest physician office fine from $100,000 to $1.5 million. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates Inc. (collectively … Read more
While Massachusetts General Hospital got socked with a $1 million HIPAA penalty when an employee left 192 patient records in the open on a subway seat, the penalty is perhaps not the worst of the consequences. MASS General also was required to sign a Corrective Action Plan that will have the Office of Civil Rights … Read more
The federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) made the point that even small medical offices are not immune from HIPAA enforcement in April when a Phoenix cardiology office was fined $100,000 for HIPAA violations stemming from an online calendar system that exposed patient information. Among the other elements cited were a failure to provide and … Read more