NY Spine Medicine (NY Spine) has agreed to take corrective actions and pay $100,000 to settle a potential violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s right of access standard. NY Spine is a private medical practice specializing in neurology and pain management with offices in New York, NY, and Miami Beach, FL. This is the 9th … Read more
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces that it has settled its eighth enforcement action in its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. OCR announced this initiative as an enforcement priority in 2019 to support individuals’ right to timely access to their health records … Read more
With hospitals and healthcare providers as the prime targets (but certainly not the only targets) for ransomware cybercriminals, an October 1, announcement from the US Treasury department puts the victims of ransomware in the impossible position. The unexpected policy statement https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/126/ofac_ransomware_advisory_10012020_1.pdf gives the victim the options of choosing to not pay the ransom and incurring loss … Read more
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS — Premera Blue Cross (PBC) has agreed to pay $6.85 million to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to implement a corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security … Read more
Waiver or Modification of Requirements Under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act September 16, 2020 Pursuant to Section 1135(b) of the Social Security Act (the Act) (42 U.S.C. § 1320b-5), I, Alex M. Azar II, Secretary of Health and Human Services, hereby waive or modify the following requirements of titles XVIII, XIX, and … Read more
September 15, 2020 HHS Security Risk Assessment Tool Version 3.2 and Webinar SRA Tool Version 3.2 The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have released version 3.2 of the popular HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool. This tool is designed to aid small and … Read more
OCR Settles Five More Investigations in HIPAA Right of Access Initiative The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces that it has settled five more investigations in its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative this year. OCR announced this initiative as an enforcement priority in 2019 to … Read more
In response to reported trends of parents skipping normal well-child visits due to Covid-19 concerns with the result that childhood vaccines are not being administered, HHS Secretary Azur has issued an expansion of PREP Act immunity from liability to Pharmacists giving or supervising administering vaccines to children 3-18. The order adds them to the definition … Read more
On August 17, CMS announced it will resume routine inspections of all Medicare and Medicaid certified providers and suppliers to improve the safety and quality of life of patients and residents. CMS had previously suspended certain routine inspections as part of its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to prioritize infection control and … Read more