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
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William Maruca
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Health System Settles for $1.5 Million for Failing To Implement Business Associate Agreement
By William Maruca on
Matthew Redding contributed to this post.
It’s a familiar story: a HIPAA breach triggers an investigation which reveals systemic flaws in HIPAA compliance, resulting in a seven-figure settlement. A stolen…
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Firearms, Mental Health, Executive Orders and HIPAA: A Volatile Mix
By William Maruca on
President Obama announced a series of Executive Orders on January 4, 2016 to address gun-related violence in America. Among those orders was an initiative to increase mental health reporting to…
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A reader comments on that “Medical Hack” meme
By William Maruca on
A thoughtful reader responded to our last post, Debunking a Viral “Medical Hack” Meme, which advised health plan subscribers to cite certain HIPAA compliance issues in efforts to overturn…
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Debunking a Viral “Medical Hack” Meme
By William Maruca on
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…
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Did Practice Violate HIPAA By Tipping Off Immigration Authorities?
By William Maruca on
A Houston-area woman was arrested at her gynecologist’s office by Sheriff’s deputies because she presented a false ID and now may face deportation, according to a September 11, 2015 report…
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Oncology Group Fined $750,000 Over Stolen Backup Media, Lax Compliance Efforts
By William Maruca on
Cancer Care Group, P.C., a 13-physician radiation oncology practice in Indiana (group), has agreed to pay $750,000 and implement a comprehensive corrective action plan in a settlement resulting from the…
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Dumpster Diving for PHI Exposes Business Associate (and Physician Practice) to Liability
By William Maruca on
A Chicago record storage and disposal company has been named in a complaint filed by the Illinois Attorney General as a result of the negligent disposal of a medical practice’s…
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Fireworks over ESPN’s tweet of NFL player’s medical records
By William Maruca on
New York Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul suffered hand injuries while handling fireworks on July 4. A screenshot of a page from his hospital records was tweeted by ESPN reporter…
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Hacked Health Records Prized for their Black Market Value
By William Maruca on
I received a disturbing robo-call over the weekend informing me that someone had attempted to use my credit card number fraudulently in a retail store in the next county. When…
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