At the close of 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the Proposed Rule) to amend the Security Rule regulations established for protecting electronic health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The updated
electronic protected health information
Fifth Circuit Overturns “Arbitrary and Capricious” $4.3 Million HIPAA Penalty Against Hospital
By Conor Duffy on
On January 14, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a $4.348 million penalty for alleged HIPAA violations assessed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) against the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Hospital). The case arises from an enforcement action undertaken by HHS following the…
OCR Prevails with ALJ Against MD Anderson for $4.3 Million in HIPAA Fines and Penalties
By Linn Foster Freedman on
It is a rare occurrence when a health care entity challenges the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) regarding proposed fines and penalties for HIPAA violations. In my memory, it has only happened once before.
On June 1, 2018, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) granted summary judgment in favor of the OCR against The University of…
OCR settlement reiterates importance of proactive security rule compliance
On September 2, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced that Cancer Care Group, P.C. (CCG), a physician practice located in Indiana, agreed to pay $750,000 as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of HIPAA’s Security and Privacy Rules.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) initiated an investigation…