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…
In February, a coalition of healthcare organizations sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Letter), urging the immediate rescission of a proposed update to the Security Rule under HIPAA. The update is aimed at strengthening safeguards for securing electronic protected health information.…
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…
The Indiana Attorney General Office (OAG) filed a detailed complaint on December 23, 2024 (Complaint) which arose out of the following patient complaint:
The OAG received a consumer complaint stating that the consumer had contacted Arlington Westend Dental on multiple occasions to receive copies of their x-rays, but Arlington Westend Dental stated it no longer…
As the healthcare sector continues to be a top target for cyber criminals, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule (scheduled to be published in the Federal Register January 6). It looks like substantial changes are in store for covered entities and business associates alike, including healthcare providers…
A healthcare provider delivering pain management services in Florida and other states faces a $1.19 million civil monetary penalty from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR investigation stems from a data breach, but not the type of breach we are used to seeing in…
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.
If there is one thing artificial intelligence (AI) systems need is data and lots of it as training AI is essential for achieving success for a given use case. A recent investigation by Australia’s privacy regulator into the country’s largest medical imaging provider, I-MED Radiology Network, illustrates concerns about the use of medical data to…
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…
Phishing has long been a favorite tactic for threat actors (hackers) to commence a cyberattack. The rapid expansion of more adaptable and available artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as natural language processing and large language models, now fuels more ferocious phishing campaigns. The effects are being felt in many industries, perhaps most notably the healthcare…
