Do You Need A HIPAA Risk Assessment?
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. As a health care provider or owner of a health facility, you know about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. You know that you must safeguard and protect confidential patient medical information to avoid civil and criminal penalties against you and your practice. Did you know […]
Health Care Professionals Take Note of the New HIPAA Rules
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law, and Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm With the popularity of electronic health records (EHRs), social media and everything in between, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released stronger rules and protections […]
Affinity Health Plan Settles with Government in Photocopier HIPAA Breach Incident Involving Patient Medical Information
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and Affinity Health Plan, Inc. (Affinity), reached a settlement for more than $1.2 million for potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability […]
Dermatology Practice Settles with Government After Stolen USB Drive Results in HIPAA Breach
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and Adult & Pediatric Dermatology (APDerm), reached a $150,000 settlement for privacy and security violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). […]
Data Breach at Colorado Hospital Highlights IT Security Risks
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm A small rural hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, has identified a virus on its computer network that had captured and stored screen shots of protected health information in a hidden file system. The hidden folder was created on Sept. 23, 2013, but was not discovered until […]
HIPAA Fines, Mobile Devices and Risk Assessments: Follow the Steps or Pay the Price
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm Two separate entities have agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) $1,975,220 in fines collectively. The settlements resolve potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules involving stolen, unencrypted […]
Don’t Ring in the New Year with a HIPAA Audit – Safeguard Yourself Now
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Here’s a scary reminder: There are people attempting to hack into electronic health systems every second of every day. Thankfully, most of these attempts are unsuccessful due to the preventive technologies in place to safeguard such information. However, […]
Breach of HIPAA Privacy Regulations May be a Basis for Negligence Actions
By Shelby Root and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Health Law Given the advances in information technology, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress as a comprehensive legislative and regulatory scheme to ensure basic protections of patients’ right of […]
Jury Awards Walgreens Customer $1.44 Million Over HIPAA Violation
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law An Indiana jury awarded a Walgreens customer $1.44 million on July 26, 2013, over a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violation, according to the Indianapolis Star. The […]
Avoid Costly HIPAA Violations with a HIPAA Risk Assessment
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. As a health care provider or owner of a health facility, you know about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. You know that you must safeguard and protect confidential patient medical information to avoid civil and criminal penalties against you and your practice. Did you know […]