The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates to provide notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI). The rule defines both what constitutes a breach, as well as the exceptions to that general definition. What is the Definition of a “Breach”? Generally, a breach is an impermissible (unauthorized)… Read More »
Identity Theft Possible with 70% of Healthcare Breaches According to a study conducted by the Annals of Internal Medicine, the majority of healthcare breaches involve sensitive information that can be used to commit identity theft. The report analyzed 1,461 healthcare breaches that occurred over the past decade and found that 71% of the breaches involved,… Read More »
By now, you may have heard about the massive ransomware attack that has struck over 150 countries, including The United States, over the past week. If health care data taken hostage in a ransomware attack is unencrypted, it could constitute a HIPAA violation. Any electronic protected health information (ePHI) that is affected by a breach… Read More »
View the original infographic on http://healthinformatics.uic.edu/ and http://healthinformatics.uic.edu/resources/infographics/protecting-patient-information/
Over the past few years, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has considerably ramped-up its enforcement efforts for HIPAA violations. Pharmacies have continued to be hit with OCR investigations and massive fines for breaches of protected health information (PHI). These investigations are often initiated for minor privacy or… Read More »
The NFL has reported that thousands of players’ health care records were breached in late April after a laptop was stolen from the car of a Washington Redskins trainer. The records are extensive, dating back a full 13 years. They’re reported to include current and former players’ protected health information (PHI), as well as that… Read More »
After seven years of illegally accessing the protected health information (PHI) of 1,620 patients, an employee at UnityPoint Health’s Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa has been reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for federal investigation. Officials at the hospital say that the breach was first uncovered on March 14, 2016. The… Read More »
Receiving HIPAA breach notification letters in the mail has become a disappointingly commonplace occurrence for many Americans over the past few years. In a single breach alone last February, as many as 80 million individuals had their protected health information (PHI) breached by Anthem. HIPAA regulation mandates that breaches be reported to affected patients informing… Read More »
Following Prince’s sudden death on April 21, 2016, media speculation about the causes surrounding the event have already begun to circulate widely. TMZ has reported that the artist was treated for a drug overdose just six days prior to his death. His private jet was reported to have made an emergency landing in Moline,… Read More »
St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) has reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit for a 2012 health care data breach. SJHS will split a total settlement of $7.5 million, paying class members $242 each. In addition to the $7.5 million settlement, $3 million has been set aside for patients who suffered from identity theft.… Read More »