Monitoring Legal Developments Relating to the Privacy and Security of Health Information
Our partner Keith McMurdy posted this analysis of a recent HIPAA settlement involving a physician practice on our Employee Benefits Legal Blog:
…
Continue Reading HIPAA Failure Results In Penalties: Lack of Compliance the Key
The HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Rule that appeared in the January 25, 2013 Federal Register contained this cryptic and apparently contradictory statement:
DATES: Effective date: This final rule is effective on March…
Continue Reading Omnibus Rule Takes Effect Today – Or Does It?
CMS should improve its oversight of its electronic health record incentive program, according to a report by the Office of Inspector General released this month. The government watchdog agency faults…
Continue Reading OIG Reports Shortcomings In EHR Incentive Oversight
A nurse has been fired by a Texas hospital after accessing information on patients for whom she had no clinical responsibility, according to the Mt. Pleasant, TX Daily Tribune.
Continue Reading When Will They Learn? Snooping Nurse Fired, Patients Notified
Early EHR adopters, mark your calendars: CMS will begin accepting registration for participation in the Medicare EHR incentive program beginning January 3, 2010. CMS will post a link to the registration process …
Continue Reading HITECH EMR Incentive Registration Opens January 3, 2011
With a press conference featuring top officials including HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, the Office of Civil Rights rolled out a 234-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on July 8, 2010. The full…
Continue Reading OCR Releases Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Implementing HITECH Act HIPAA Changes
Ambulance-chasing meets the age of electronic records. The husband and wife team of Ruben E. Rodriguez and Maria Victoria Suarez have been charged with conspiring with an ambulance company worker to…
Continue Reading Indictments in Florida Scheme to Sell Stolen Medical Records
With the HITECH breach notification rules weeks away from taking effect, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is scrambling to control the damage from the October 2009 theft of 57 hard drives containing sensitive patient information.
Continue Reading Tennessee Blues’ Data Theft May Impact 500,000 Members
The Health InformationTechnology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the “HITECH Act” provides incentive payments for adoption and meaningful use of HIT and qualified EHRs. CMS published a…
On October 30, 2009, the Secretary of the HHS adopted an Interim Final Rule amending HIPAA’s enforcement regulations relating to the imposition of civil monetary penalties (“CMP”). Most significantly, the…
