$125,000 Settlement Reached with Pharmacy for Improperly Disposing Patient Health Records
The mega data breaches to hit large insurers and healthcare providers have been making the headlines in recent months; however the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) showed yesterday that even smaller healthcare providers must abide by HIPAA Rules or face the consequences. Yesterday, the OCR issued a statement on…
Read MoreStarting July 2015 PHI Data Encryption Mandatory for the State of New Jersey
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, signed a new law in January that extends the reach of HIPAA, calling for New Jersey healthcare providers to make greater efforts to keep the electronic health records of patients secure. The new law will go into effect July 2015 and requires all covered entities to use data encryption software on…
Read MoreOperator of Detroit Adult Day Care Center and Two Home Health Care Company Owners Sentenced in $29 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – The former operator of a Detroit adult day care center and two former owners of Detroit-area home health care companies were sentenced to prison today for their roles in a $29 million Medicare fraud scheme. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of…
Read MoreTexas Doctor Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud Scheme
Texas Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Health Care Fraud Scheme TYLER, Texas – A 63-year-old Dallas County, Texas, physician, has been sentenced to federal prison for health care fraud and identity theft violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. Tariq Mahmood, 63, of Cedar Hill, Texas, was found guilty…
Read MoreNew HIPAA Breach Report Confirms Healthcare Hacking Increase
The cybersecurity threat faced by the healthcare industry has been widely reported as being at a critical level, yet data on the actual threat level is in short supply. A survey was recently commissioned by HITRUST – to investigate the actual threat level and this week a review of reported data breaches has been published…
Read MoreOCR Indicates Major Hike in HIPAA Audits
They were last seen in 2012, but the second round of HIPAA compliance audits have yet to commence, but they are apparently coming back this year with plans in place for them to be bigger and bolder than ever before. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) indicated to Washington…
Read MoreMICROSOFT OFFICE 365 ACHIEVES TOP RATING FOR HIPAA COMPLIANCE
Microsoft Office 365 cloud services for the healthcare industry has recently achieved the highest possible HITRUST CSF rating – achieving a maximum score of five – in a certification review of its security and privacy controls initiated by Centura Health. The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF) is a scalable, prescriptive and…
Read MoreMarch Sees Massive Hike in Healthcare Data Hacking
The number of successful cyber attacks spiked in March, with 11 incidents reported to the Office for Civil Rights, although since HIPAA-covered entities have up to 60 days from the discovery of a data breach until a breach notification must be submitted, that figure may yet rise. In February, there were 4 reported hacking incidents…
Read MoreHIPAA VIOLATION WARNING ISSUED ABOUT MEDICAL RECORD SUBPOENAS
Law firm, Day Pitney LLP, has issued a warning to healthcare professionals to be cautious about disclosing Protected Health Information, even when asked to provide medical records to attorneys under subpoena. A Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in November 2014 permitted a negligence claim to be filed against a healthcare provider for non-compliance with HIPAA Rules…
Read MorePREMERA HIPAA BREACH: INSURER CERTIFIED AS HIPAA COMPLIANT
In the aftermath of a major HIPAA breach, the spotlight is shined on healthcare providers and insurers’ and they investigated to determine whether the breach was preventable, and if it was caused by violations of HIPAA regulations.In the case of Premera, hackers were able to infiltrate the insurer’s computer network and gain free access to…
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