HIPAA

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The Oklahoma State Legislature recently enacted Senate Bill 626, amending its Security Breach Notification Act, effective January 1, 2026, to address gaps in the state’s current cybersecurity framework (the “Amendment”).  The Amendment includes new definitions, mandates reporting to the state Attorney General, clarifies compliance with similar laws, and provides revised penalty provisions, including affirmative…

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the fifth enforcement action under its Risk Analysis Initiative. In this case, OCR reached a settlement with Health Fitness Corporation (Health Fitness), a wellness vendor providing services to employer-sponsored group health plans.

This announcement is interesting for several…

Employee security awareness training is a best practice and a “reasonable safeguard” for protecting the privacy and security of an organization’s sensitive data.  The list of data privacy and cybersecurity laws mandating employee data protection training continues to grow and now includes the EU AI Act.  The following list is a high-level sample of employee…

As the integration of technology in the workplace accelerates, so do the challenges related to privacy, cybersecurity, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI). Human resource professionals and in-house counsel must navigate a rapidly evolving landscape of legal and regulatory requirements. This National Privacy Day, it’s crucial to spotlight emerging issues in workplace technology…

Announcing its fourth ransomware cybersecurity investigation and settlement, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) also observed there has been a 264% increase in large ransomware breaches since 2018.

Here, the OCR reached an agreement with a medium-size private healthcare provider following a ransomware attack relating to potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule.

With organizations holding more and more data digitally, there is an increased need to ensure data remains accessible across the organization at any given time. To that end, many organizations use tools that synchronize the organization’s data across various databases, applications, cloud services, and mobile devices, which involves updating data in real-time or at scheduled…

Maryland’s governor recently signed the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act of 2024 (MODPA), making Maryland one of six states—along with Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—to pass a comprehensive privacy law this year.  Overall, 19 states (and counting) now have such laws on their books.  

Maryland’s law takes effect October 1…

On April 22, 2024, the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a final rule enhancing privacy protections relating to reproductive health care. Specifically, the final rule amends the Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to, among other things, establish new limits on the…

“Cybersecurity” has emerged as one of top risks facing organizations. Considering the steady stream of massive data breaches affecting millions (sometimes billions), the debilitating effects of ransomware on an organization’s information systems, the intrigue of international threat actors, and the mobilization and collaboration of national law enforcement to thwart these attacks, it’s no wonder. Notions…