HHS

Essex Residential Care, LLC, must pay $100,000 as a result of failing to adhere to HIPAA's Right of Access. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), has declared a civil monetary penalty of $100,000 against Essex Residential Care, LLC, operating as Hackensack Meridian Health, West Caldwell Care Center (“Hackensack Meridian Health”), a skilled nursing facility offering long-term care and rehabilitation services. The penalty stems from an investigation by OCR into Hackensack Meridian Health's violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, specifically for failing to promptly provide a [...]

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), announced a resolution with Phoenix Healthcare, a nursing care organization in Oklahoma with multiple facilities, regarding a potential violation under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Right of Access provision. This settlement marks the 47th enforcement action in the OCR Right of Access Initiative. It mandates that individuals or their personal representatives must have timely access to their health information. According to HIPAA regulations, covered entities must grant access to protected health information within 30 days of receiving a request from an individual. OCR's [...]

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), disclosed a resolution with Lafourche Medical Group, a Louisiana-based medical entity specializing in emergency medicine, occupational medicine, and laboratory testing. The agreement concludes an inquiry prompted by a phishing attack that impacted the electronic protected health information of around 34,862 individuals. Phishing, a form of cybersecurity attack, involves deceiving individuals into revealing sensitive information through electronic means, like email, by posing as a trustworthy entity. This settlement represents the first instance in which OCR has addressed a phishing attack under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [...]