The OCR HIPAA Audit Program and the HIPAA Security Rule
The HITECH Act requires the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct periodic audits of HIPAA covered entity and business [...]
Texas Lawsuit Seeks Invalidation of HIPAA Reproductive Healthcare Privacy Rule
On April 22, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Final Rule, entitled “HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support [...]
Final Rule Strengthens Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Care
A mental health “parity law” is one requiring health plans to provide comparable coverage for mental health as it does for physical ailments. The nation’s first mental health [...]
HHS Withdraws Appeal of Online Tracking Technology Court Order
In December of 2022, HHS issued online tracking technology guidance. The guidance provided instructions for HIPAA-covered entities on how to use tracking technologies to gather information about [...]
AI Meets the Law: Colorado First State to Regulate AI in Healthcare
In May 2024, Colorado enacted the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act (“Colorado AI Act”) - the first comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation (AI) in the United States (and with [...]
Pennsylvania Says “No” to Healthcare Noncompete Agreements
Noncompete agreements, including healthcare noncompete agreements, prohibit employees from working for a competitor or opening a competing business, typically for a certain period of time after an [...]
New Emergencies, New Rules: OSHA’s Proposed Emergency Responses Standard
OSHA’s “Fire Brigades Standard” for general industry was issued in 1980, back when the term “fire brigade” (an organized body of people trained and employed to extinguish [...]
Supremely Criminal PHI Access: A HIPAA Violation Case
Trent J. Russell was an organ transplant coordinator for the Washington Regional Transplant Community (“WRTC”). WRTC is a federally designated organization that identifies near-death patients whose organs [...]
What is the FTC’s Revised Health Breach Notification Rule?
In 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented the Health Breach Notification Rule (HBNR), to provide security protection for consumer digital health information. The Rule was instituted [...]
OSHA to Issue Proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Standard
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the United States. According to [...]
