What is the Oklahoma Health Information Exchange?

The Oklahoma Health Information Exchange (OKHIE) is a robust and secure system that allows for sharing of electronic health information among healthcare providers in the state. This innovative platform has revolutionized how medical professionals access and share patient data, leading to better patient outcomes across Oklahoma. Health information exchanges (HIEs) are groups of healthcare professionals, such as those on the above list, [...]

2023-07-24T14:52:52-04:00June 5th, 2023|

Health Data Security Compromised by Third-party Apps

A new report published by Approov uncovered major cybersecurity flaws in third-party health apps that populate patient data from electronic health record systems. Through research conducted by cybersecurity analyst Alissa Knight, it was found that the health data security of many of these apps are flawed, putting the patients that use them at risk. Report Uncovers Major Vulnerabilities The Fast Healthcare Interoperability [...]

2023-07-27T16:21:40-04:00October 20th, 2021|

Is TigerText HIPAA Compliant?

TigerConnect is a communications platform that allows users to send secure messages, photos, videos, notes, and voice recordings through their TigerText service. TigerConnect specifically designed their product with healthcare workers in mind, allowing treating physicians to text patients information regarding their care, but is TigerText HIPAA compliant? Find out below. TigerText and HIPAA Compliant Security Features Assessing a software application’s security features [...]

2023-07-28T09:25:00-04:00July 28th, 2021|

Is Citrix ShareFile HIPAA Compliant?

Citrix’s ShareFile touts itself as, “the secure file sharing and transfer service that's built for business.” But, is Citrix ShareFile HIPAA compliant? Read below if they follow HIPAA compliant file sharing. Why Does it Matter if Citrix ShareFile is HIPAA Compliant? Under HIPAA, any software provider that has the potential to access protected health information (PHI) is considered [...]

2023-07-28T13:18:46-04:00May 18th, 2021|

Is Venmo HIPAA Compliant | Is PayPal HIPAA Compliant

Venmo is a popular secure online payment platform that allows users to instantly send payments to other Venmo users. Part of the reason it has become so popular is its ease of use and no fee structure. However, what many people fail to realize is that Venmo is owned by PayPal, and they openly share data between the two platforms. As such, when inquiring as to whether or [...]

2023-07-28T14:11:37-04:00February 26th, 2021|

Does HIPAA Prohibit the Sharing of President Trump’s Health Information?

In light of President Trump's positive COVID diagnosis, a lot of people are wondering if it is permitted to share his health information with the public. Generally under HIPAA, healthcare organizations are prohibited from sharing a patient's health information without authorization from the patient. However, as the President of the United States, Trump’s health condition is a matter of national security, so do the general rules [...]

2023-07-31T15:14:48-04:00October 5th, 2020|

Lawsuit Claims EHR Violated HIPAA Right of Access

A lawsuit filed by Sherry Russell claims that HealthAlliance Hospital and Ciox Health denied access to her deceased husband’s medical records. If her claims are true, the healthcare organizations violated the HIPAA right of access provision. More details about the lawsuit are discussed below. HIPAA Right of Access Violation Sherry Russell requested her deceased husband’s medical records so that she may file [...]

2023-07-31T15:24:45-04:00September 23rd, 2020|

Vishing Attack Targets Spectrum Health Patients

Beware. Hackers have graduated to using vishing attacks to target patients. Vishing attacks occur when hackers call patients disguising themselves as a trusted entity, such as a healthcare organization, prompting patients to share sensitive information over the phone. Spectrum Health is warning patients and Priority Health members of one such vishing attack. Spectrum Health Vishing Attack Spectrum received reports that patients [...]

2023-07-31T15:27:11-04:00September 18th, 2020|

OCR Settles Five Privacy Rule Violations

In September of 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it settled HIPAA Privacy Rule right of access violations with five separate healthcare entities. The total settlement with all five organizations amounts to $136,500. In each instance, the healthcare provider was fined, and ended up settling with OCR, for its failure to provide patients with timely access to [...]

2023-07-31T15:29:39-04:00September 16th, 2020|

Are Search Engines Compromising PHI Security?

It was recently discovered that advancements in search engine capability may pose a risk to PHI security. Researchers from American College of Radiology (ACR), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) warned healthcare professionals and radiologists of the risk of using medical images for educational purposes. How Can Search Engines Identify Medical Images Optical Character [...]

2023-07-31T15:45:30-04:00September 8th, 2020|