The Office for Civil Rights has requested $46.7 million in funding in its FY 2010 budget, with 76 percent of new funding to go toward enforcing HIPAA regulations, according to a Health Data Management news report
via OCR Seeks More Funding for HIPAA Enforcement | Healthcare Information Technology.
The federal list of major health information breaches that have occurred since September 2009 included 249 incidents affecting nearly 8.3 million individuals as of Tuesday. But the total number affected could surpass 10 million once details about the recent Health Net breach are added.
via Health Breach Tally Hits 8.3 Million.
Susan McAndrew of the HHS Office for Civil Rights discusses recent high-profile HIPAA cases, upcoming state attorneys general training and the pending HIPAA audit program.
via OCR’s McAndrew on Enforcing HIPAA.
The Office of Civil Rights is offering HIPAA enforcement training sessions for States Attorneys General, aiming to aid them in investigating and seeking damages for HIPAA violations within their states, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
via OCR Offers HIPAA Training for States Attorneys General | Hospital Financial and Business News.
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Health and Human Services is expanding its fight against HIPAA security and privacy violations, as mandated by the HITECH Act. The OCR, a relatively small office with limited manpower, is now inviting the attorneys general of all 50 states to receive training in HIPAA enforcement.
via OCR invites state AGs to gear up for HIPAA security crackdown – FierceHealthIT.
It is estimated that nearly 1.5 million Americans are victims of medical identity theft, up slightly from last year, according to this comprehensive study. Alarmingly, the average cost to resolve a case of medical identity theft stands at $20,663, up from $20,160 in 2010
via Medical identity theft: The growing cost of indifference.
HHS has now sent a clear message to entities bound by HIPAA – HIPAA must be taken seriously. Indeed, in the HHS press release related to the Mass General incident, OCR Director Georgina Verdugo indicated that entities bound by HIPAA must ensure they have an effective compliance plan in place in order to avoid enforcement penalties. Specifically, Verduga stated, “[w]e hope the health care industry will take a close look at this [Mass General Resolution] agreement and recognize that OCR is serious about HIPAA enforcement.
The General Hospital Corporation and Massachusetts General Physicians Organization Inc. (Mass General) has agreed to pay the U.S. government $1,000,000 to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.
via Insurance News – Massachusetts General Hospital Settles Potential HIPAA Violations.
If anyone doubted that there is a cost to ignoring privacy regulations, $5.3 million in penalties doled out last week for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) should put such doubt to rest. Not only is the government pursuing enforcement, but it is going to come down particularly hard on organizations that don’t take it seriously.
via Don’t view HIPAA fines as cost a of doing business – FierceCIO.
On Tuesday, the HHS Office for Civil Rights announced that it has issued its first-ever civil penalty for HIPAA privacy rule violations, the Washington Post reports.OCR fined Cignet Health — a health center based in Maryland – $4.3 million for failing to provide copies of medical records to 41 patients who requested them from September 2008 to October 2009
via HHS Levies Civil Penalty for HIPAA Privacy Rule Violation – iHealthBeat.
