On March 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published Guidance and a list of FAQs related to the provision of telehealth
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Enforcement
Back to School and Back to BAAs: OCR Guidance Provides Reason to Review BAA Provisions
By Elizabeth G. Litten on
Last May, around the time many schools let out for the summer, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) published guidance entitled “Direct Liability of Business Associates” (the “Guidance”),…
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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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Unencrypted Laptops Prove Costly
By William Maruca on
Is the PHI on all your mobile devices encrypted? If not, here’s another two million reasons to make encryption your top priority. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the…
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Another Case of Snooping Prosecuted
By William Maruca on
Once again, a healthcare worker’s inability to resist the temptation to snoop in her employer’s medical records has resulted in criminal prosecution. In the latest incident, a Vermont ultrasound technologist improperly…
Rite Aid settles HIPAA Claims for $1 Million
By William Maruca on
In a press release dated July 27, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a settlment under which Rite Aid Corporation and its affiliates have agreed to pay…
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A First: Connecticut AG Settles With Health Net Over Breach For $250,000
By William Maruca on
In the first settlement of a HIPAA enforcement action brought by a state attorney general under the new authority granted by the HITECH Act, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced…
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California Hospitals Fined for Employees’ Unauthorized Access of Patient Records
By William Maruca on
The more famous the patient, the greater the temptation to peek at his or her medical records. This is why California enacted health privacy legislation in 2008. Among the latest providers to be…
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Snoop Through Records, Go Directly To Jail
By William Maruca on
A former researcher at UCLA has the dubious distinction of being the first person sentenced to prison under HIPAA for snooping through medical records.
The Justice Department press release reports…
OCR’s HITECH Act Rulemaking and Implementation Update
By William Maruca on
On March 15, 2010, the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services published an update on their rulemaking and enforcement efforts under the HITECH Act. It…
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