HIPAA Breach

Memorial Healthcare Systems (MHS) offers the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the sum of $5 .5 million to clear up prospective transgression of the Medical Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Guidelines and additionally consented to put into effect a highly effective corrective action plan. MHS is a nonprofit establishment that manages six hospitals, an urgent care facility, a nursing home, including a range of ancillary health care centers in every area of the South Florida vicinity. MHS is as well associated with healthcare professional offices via an Organized Health Care Arrangement [...]

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of has announced civil money penalty against Children’s Medical Centre of Dallas (Children’s) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and this based on its impermissible disclosure of unsecured electronic protected health information (ePHI) and non-compliance over many years with multiple standards of the HIPAA Security Rule. A noticed of proposed Determination in accordance with 45 CFR 160.420 was issued by OCR and the notice included instruction for how Children’s could file a request for a hearing. Accordingly, OCR issued another Notice [...]

The University of Mississippi (UM) Medical Center (UMMC) agrees to resolve with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Officer for Civil Rights (OCR)  for multiple alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the amount of $2.75 million. While investigating, OCR informed that UMMC knew about the consequences and risks that might create problems since April 2005, but they have not taken any security or risk management steps until the breach happened. This happened entirely due to the deficiency of work and management on the part of UMMC. Thus to compensate they will pay $2,750,000 [...]

The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has agreed to pay a fee to the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the amount of $3.9 million as a court settlement against alleged infractions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules. Like most OCR settlements, the penalty Feinstein will incur also includes a major corrective plan to ensure its future actions are brought into compliance. OCR released a statement regarding the incident, emphasizing OCR’s steadfast resolve to enforcing HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. OCR released in a press [...]

Washington, D.C. – The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced it reached a $2.2M court settlement with the New York Presbyterian Hospital for its calamitous infraction of HIPAA privacy rules. This settlement was announced April 21, 2016. The hospital made an amateur and egregious error when it disclosed the protected health information of two of its patients. The hospital provided this information to film crews and their staff during the filming of an ABC television series called “NY Med.” The hospital provided the protected information to without consulting with and obtaining authorization from the patients. [...]

Complete P.T., Pool & Land Physical Therapy, Inc. has agreed to settle violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rules with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Complete P.T. is a physical therapy practice located in the Los Angeles area.  The settlement agreement is an admission of civil liability by Complete P.T., requiring payment of $25,000, adoption and implementation of a corrective action plan, and annual reporting of compliance efforts for a one year period. On August 8, 2012, OCR received a complaint alleging that Complete P.T. had impermissibly disclosed [...]

According to Healthcare IT News Litton & Giddings Radiological Associates issued a press release last week announcing a potential breach of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Act that impacted the personal health information of 13,000 patients. The company also mentioned in the press release that the mistake occurred due to the janitorial provider at the billing company sent patient billing records to a recycling center without cutting down the records first. Officials of the company also mentioned that there is no indication that any patient information has been misused. Officials are not exactly sure about which patient files and [...]