Former Hospital Employee Sentenced For HIPAA Violations
TYLER, TEXAS – A former employee of an East Texas hospital has been sentenced to federal prison for criminal HIPAA violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. Joshua Hippler, 30, formerly of Longview, Texas, pleaded guilty on Aug. 28, 2014, to wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information and…
Read MoreHIPAA breaches have increased by 1800 percent since 2008
Brookings Report: HIPAA Hacks Up 1,800 Percent Feb 19, 2015 | hipaajournal | No comment | Healthcare Data Security A new report by the Brookings Institution predicts a wave of HIPAA data breaches in 2015, claims that the healthcare industry is particularly vulnerable to attack and that there is a lack of consequences for healthcare…
Read MoreAnthem Data Breach Expected to Cost Over $100 Million
A HIPAA breach carries a huge financial penalty and one the scale of that which recently affected Anthem Inc., is expected to result in costs of many tens of millions of dollars. Anthem holds an insurance policy from the American International Group to protect against cyber crime and data exposures, and is covered for losses…
Read MoreFEDERAL OFFICIALS TO EXPLORE HIPAA RULES ON DATA ENCRYPTION
FEB 10, 2015 | HIPAAJOURNAL | NO COMMENT | HEALTHCARE DATA SECURITY On Friday last week, a day after Anthem Inc., announced the largest ever reported HIPAA breach, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee announced that the healthcare IT security is to be addressed and that it will “take up the matter as…
Read MoreHusband and Wife Convicted in Multi-Million Dollar Healthcare Fraud Scheme
USAO-SDTX – 150202 – Owuama HOUSTON – William Owuama, 55, and Marla Owuama, 47, of Houston, have entered guilty pleas to charges related to a healthcare fraud scheme in which they billed Medicare for more than $9 million, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. William Owuama was the owner of Wilmar Healthcare Systems and his wife…
Read MoreFort Worth Chiropractor Sentenced to 12 months in Federal Prison for Heathcare Fraud Case
USDOJ: US Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Texas FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20, 2015 FORT WORTH, Texas — The owner/operator of a chiropractic clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced this morning on a federal felony conviction stemming from her submission of false reimbursement claims to Medicare and Medicaid, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John…
Read MoreHome Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Miami Health Care Fraud Scheme
Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Miami Health Care Fraud Scheme | OPA | Department of Justice Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Miami Health Care Fraud Scheme Patient Recruiter Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Participating In The Same…
Read MoreSecond Breach Involving Unencrypted Laptop from Riverside County Regional Medical Center
ABC News reports that an unencrypted laptop that went missing from Riverside County Regional Medical Center in December may have contained personal information of nearly 7,900 patients. At first, this new report appeared to be an update of a breach disclosure the center made in June, when they reported notifying 563 patients of a missing laptop that had…
Read MoreHIPAA Enforcement to be Ramped Up
HIPAA Enforcement to be Ramped Up Healthcare Technology Trends for 2015 – HIPAA Journal The Office for Civil Rights delayed its proposed round of compliance audits last year, and while a timescale has not been provided for when they will recommence, OCR Director, Jocelyn Samuels, has promised they will be recommencing ‘expeditiously’. The OCR has…
Read More$9.87 Million Settlement with Safeway for Improperly Disposing Pharmacy Records
California prosecutors have reached a $9.87 million settlement with the grocery store chain Safeway for improperly disposing of pharmacy records and hazardous waste in dumpsters. The patient records contained private and confidential medical information and should have been destroyed or rendered unreadable according to California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and the Health Insurance Portability…
Read More