Survey Indicates Law Firms Are Not Complying With HIPAA Rules
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) covers healthcare providers, health insurers, and healthcare clearinghouses, and all covered entities are required to comply with HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules. HIPAA also applies to vendors and other companies doing business with covered entities, which are classed as HIPAA Business Associates (BAs). If a…
Read MoreDropbox is a Great Product But Does it Belong In Your Business?
Dropbox is recognized as the first company that made cloud file sync simple and free. Today, with 400 million users as of June 2015, the service is one of the fastest growing in the world. But amidst this rapid adoption, business owners are asking, “Is Dropbox safe for my business to use?” Before we answer…
Read MoreLincare Inc to Pay $239,800 CMP for HIPAA Violation
For only the second time in its history, OCR has ordered a HIPAA-covered entity to pay civil monetary penalties for HIPAA violations. Lincare Inc., is required to pay $239,800 for violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule which were discovered during the investigation of a complaint about a breach of 278 patient records. The Privacy Rule…
Read MoreSix Unencrypted Hard Drives Containing PHI Reported Missing by Centene Corporation
Wisconsin-based health insurer, Centene Corporation, has announced the loss of six unencrypted computer hard drives containing the protected health information of approximately 950,000 of its members. The hard drives were being used for a project to improve the health outcomes of plan members. The individuals impacted by the security breach had all received laboratory services…
Read MoreRegistered Nurse Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Healthcare Fraud
DALLAS — A 52-year-old registered nurse and home health company owner from Cedar Hill, Texas, was sentenced this morning in federal court in Dallas on a health care fraud conspiracy conviction, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. Patricia Akamnonu was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to the…
Read MoreOwner of Three Los Angeles Clinics Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud
The former owner and operator of three medical clinics located in Los Angeles was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for his role in a scheme that submitted more than $4.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker…
Read MoreFormer Texas Healthcare Employee Facing Jail for Disclosure of Patient Health Information
A former employee of State of the Heart Cardiology in Grapevine, TX, has entered into a plea deal in a case filed against her for the improper disclosure of patient health information. Ebony Shonte Echols, 35, agreed to plead guilty to the wrongful disclosure of Protected Health Information of a patient in the hope that…
Read MoreLifeLock to Pay $100 Million to Consumers to Settle FTC Charges it Violated 2010 Order
LifeLock will pay $100 million to settle Federal Trade Commission contempt charges that it violated the terms of a 2010 federal court order that requires the company to secure consumers’ personal information and prohibits the company from deceptive advertising. This is the largest monetary award obtained by the Commission in an order enforcement action. “This…
Read MoreOwner Of Medical Billing Company Indicted On Health Care Fraud And Aggravated Identity Theft Charges For Stealing Millions From Medicaid
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte grand jury has indicted Jason Adam Townsend, 39, of Raeford, N.C., on health care fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, in connection with a scheme that defrauded Medicaid of millions of dollars, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The 10-count indictment was unsealed…
Read More$750,000 HIPAA FINE FOR UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MEDICINE
University of Washington Medicine has agreed to settle with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, and will pay a HIPAA fine of $750,000 for potential HIPAA violations stemming from a 90,000-record data breach suffered in 2013 Flurry of HIPAA Enforcement Activity as 2015 Draws to a Close There has been…
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