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U.S. Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) has been a vocal advocate for mental health reform for a number of years.  Part of his crusade is driven by his concern that the HIPAA privacy rule “routinely interferes with the timely and continuous flow of health information between health care providers, patients, and families, thereby impeding patient care,…

Federal enforcement agencies are increasingly focusing on HIPAA breaches which involve mishandling of PHI by telecommuters.  Two recent cases illustrate the liability exposure resulting from inadequate oversight of staff working remotely.

Medical equipment supplier Lincare was fined $239,800 as a result of a breach which occurred when an employee left unprotected PHI in a car…

Are strangers wandering around your health care facility with their noses buried in their smartphones? And if so, what should you do about it? They’re playing Pokémon GO, a location-based augmented reality mobile game that was released for iOS and Android devices on July 6, 2016. Its popularity exceeded all expectations (my kids are…

Since the early days of HIPAA, a steady trickle of misinterpretations, misunderstandings and half-truths have circulated informally both within the medical community and among the general public.  The prevalence of social media only amplifies the effect. For example, a meme currently making the rounds on Facebook suggests using HIPAA as a strategy for convincing a…

Our partners Elizabeth Litten and William H. Maruca and I were quoted by our good friend Marla Durben Hirsch in her article in Medical Practice Compliance Alert entitled “Watch for HIPAA Pitfalls When Involving Police in ID Checks.” Full text can be found in the October 26, 2015, issue, but a synopsis is below. Marla’s…