When it comes to protecting medical information, the government doesn’t give room for excuses. Armed with HIPAA regulations, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has settled millions of dollars against violators. The financial impact of HIPAA violations is especially burdensome on small businesses. This is why small firms must take increased precaution to ensure they’re not in violation. Whether you’re providing healthcar

The Office for Civil Rights in the US Department of Health and Human Services (OCR) recently announced a $3 Million settlement with a diagnostic medical imaging company related to potential violations of the HIPAA Security and Breach Notification Rules. This settlement, according to JDSupra, arose out of an FTP server which allowed access to protected health information visible on the internet. OCR noted in its press release that notifications to individuals affected by the

According to a recent study by medRxiv, while efforts to digitize medical records and let patients access information through their phone or a patient portal are ongoing, more than half of providers sampled in a recent study failed to comply with the HIPAA right of access. The most common problem was providers not sending health records via email when patients requested them. About a quarter were also potentially non-compliant with the health privacy law's fee limitations. Th

A Kansas-based hospital has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for incentive payments for meaningfully using electronic health records, according to the Department of Justice. The lawsuit, as reported by Becker's Hospital Review, alleged Coffey Health System submitted false claims pursuant to the Electronic Health Records Incentive Program, which was established to encourage healthcare providers to adopt and de