Articles and Blogs

HIPAA covered entities are required to submit reports of small breaches (impacting less than 500 individuals) that occurred during calendar year 2011 to the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) by February 29, 2012 pursuant to the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.  Reports must be submitted electronically through OCR’s breach notification web page, which can be... READ MORE

The recent trend toward increased HIPAA enforcement is continuing with the recent announcement by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) that it would begin performing periodic audits to ensure covered entities and business associates are complying with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and Breach Notification standards.  Section 13411 of... READ MORE

The Department of Health and Human Services by the end of the year is expected to publish its final regulations implementing changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) arising from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”).  With these regulations pending and a trend toward increasing... READ MORE

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) formally published its proposed regulations implementing changes to the Accounting of Disclosures provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”).  The proposed regulations arise from requirements in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), passed as part... READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) entered into a Resolution Agreement with General Hospital Corporation and Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Inc., collectively known as Mass General (“Mass General”) to resolve a potential violation of the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of... READ MORE

HIPAA covered entities are required to submit reports of smaller breaches that occurred during calendar year 2010 to the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) by March 1, 2011 pursuant to the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.  Reports must be submitted electronically through OCR’s breach notification web page at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/index.html The Breach Notification Rule requires covered... READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a Notice of Final Determination finding that Cignet Health of Prince George’s County, MD (“Cignet”) violated the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). HHS imposed a civil money penalty (“CMP”) of $4.3... READ MORE