It’s not surprising that OCR kicked off 2021 by announcing yet another right of access fine. The fourteenth fine issued under OCR’s right of access initiative was a $200,000 fine issued to Banner Health ACE. The OCR settlement agreement is discussed in detail below. Banner Health ACE OCR Settlement Agreement Banner Health affiliated covered entities (Banner Health ACE), a non-profit health system with 30 hospitals, and primary [...]
2020 has been an unenviable year of firsts and of worsts. Add to this another undesirable record-breaker. In 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights issued a record 19 fines for failure to comply with the HIPAA regulations. 11 of the fines issued were for a failure to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s right of access. The message of OCR 2020 [...]
2020 was a year like no other in many ways. While the healthcare industry was arguably the most affected by the events of 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) saw no need to slow down its enforcement efforts. This is evident by the fact that there were more HIPAA fines issued in 2020 than any year before. To provide healthcare organizations guidance on how to [...]
The HIPAA Right of Access Initiative has claimed another victim. In September 2019, the HHS’ OCR announced that it would be prioritizing enforcement efforts surrounding the HIPAA Right of Access. Since this announcement, the OCR has issued twelve right of access fines, several of them over the past few months. The latest fine is discussed below. HIPAA Right of Access Initiative Fines University of Cincinnati Medical Center In [...]
The HHS’ OCR continues to step up its enforcement surrounding the HIPAA right of access, announcing its eleventh right of access fine this year. More details on the OCR right of access fine are discussed below. Dr. Rajendra Bhayani Hit with Latest OCR Right of Access Fine Dr. Rajendra Bhayani, an otolaryngologist that runs a private practice in Rego Park, NY, has agreed to pay a [...]
With just three organizations fined by the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in October, the month’s HIPAA fines reached $1.7 million. More details on October HIPAA fines are discussed. October HIPAA Fines: Aetna Life Insurance Company Fined $1 Million Oct 28, 2020 - Aetna Life Insurance Company enters into a settlement with the HHS regarding three separate breaches over a six month period, affecting 18,602 patients. [...]
HIPAA right of access fines seem to be growing on trees these days. The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced its tenth HIPAA right of access settlement this year. More details are discussed below. Riverside Psychiatric Medical Group HIPAA Right of Access Settlement Riverside Psychiatric Medical Group (RPMG) has agreed to pay the HHS’ [...]
The Wakefern Food Corp., and two of its ShopRite supermarkets, have reached an Attorney General HIPAA settlement with the state of New Jersey and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. But what led to the Attorney General HIPAA settlement? More details are discussed below. Attorney General HIPAA Settlement for HIPAA Violations In 2016, Wakefern replaced devices in the pharmacies of two [...]
In a record-breaking year for HIPAA fines, the HHS doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The HHS announced that they have reached a settlement with the City of New Haven, Connecticut for HIPAA violations. The HIPAA violation occurred as a result of the New Haven Health Department's failure to revoke access to their systems after terminating an employee. More details about the unauthorized access to PHI and settlement [...]
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reached a $1,000,000 settlement with health insurer Aetna. Aetna agreed to pay this fine and to adopt a two-year corrective action plan (CAP), as a result of its having committed three HIPAA violations in a six-month period. This settlement is the 14th that OCR has entered into in 2020. More settlements have [...]
