In a case addressing the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that directly implicates the privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Pacosa v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, the Portland Division of the United States District Court of Oregon awarded summary judgment against a physician assistant who claimed
New Challenges for HIPAA Business Associates Under ARRA and HITECH
Have you noticed that negotiating that business associate agreement has gotten a lot more difficult? Many companies that serve health care providers and health plans, generally known as business associates, have noticed. These companies include software vendors, benefits brokers, cloud computing providers, data storage/destruction companies, and accountants, among others.
The clients of these companies are
Health Care Employees Fired For Improperly Accessing Patient’s Electronic Health Records
As reported by the December 23 Rochester, Minnesota Post Bulletin, the Mayo Clinic has terminated two medical professionals, a physician and another staff member, after determining that they had inappropriately accessed a patient’s confidential electronic health records (EHRs).
The access highlights what should be a growing concern for health care industry employers: the
Is Shredding Enough?
Continuing our thoughts on how disclosures of private or confidential information may adversely impact the institution and the persons affected by such disclosure, we now focus on something near and dear to lawyers’ hearts: paper shredding.
Many businesses regularly shred documents they no longer need to protect them from disclosure. While this may secure the information contained