Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a major player in the realm of health care, promising to completely transform its delivery. With AI’s remarkable ability to analyze data, learn, solve problems, and make decisions, it has the potential to enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and foster innovation in the health care industry. In this blog
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
HHS Seeks to Strengthen Protections of Reproductive Health Information with Proposed Changes to HIPAA
By Conor Duffy & Guest Contributor on
Posted in HIPAA and Health Information
On April 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) that seeks to enhance safeguards of reproductive health care information through changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. The proposal is intended to align with President Biden’s Executive Order…
OCR Issues Additional Guidance on HIPAA for Providers and First Responders on COVID-19 Front Lines
By Conor Duffy on
Posted in Coronavirus, HIPAA and Health Information
On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new HIPAA guidance to help providers and first responders in its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
OCR’s guidance addresses when HIPAA allows disclosures without patient authorization of identifying health information to first responders – such…
Over 30 Data Breach Incidents in Health Care Reported to HHS Thus Far in 2020, Affecting Over 1 Million Individuals
By Jean Tomasco on
Health care organizations continue to be a popular target for hackers. According to information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), more than 30 reports of data breaches were filed by health care entities in the first month and a half of 2020. Although a few reported breaches involved theft or improper…
OIG laments failure to comprehensively address EHR fraud
By Conor Duffy on
Posted in HIPAA and Health Information
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released a compendium (Compendium) of its top unimplemented recommendations. The Compendium comprises 25 unimplemented past OIG recommendations that the OIG believes could have a positive impact on HHS programs in terms of cost savings and/or quality improvements. The Compendium’s recommendations…
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…