On Sept. 9, 2019, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the agency that enforces HIPAA rules, announced that it had done something it has never done before: settle an enforcement action for not … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives: Avoid HIPAA Violations When Denying Patient Requests to Amend PHI
October 17, 2019
COMPLIANCE CORNER
HIPAA Compliance: The Pitfalls of PHI De-Identification & How to Avoid Them
May 21, 2019
In 2016, the Australian government released medical billing records of 2.9 million people. They tried to protect patient privacy by removing names and other identifying data. But it didn't work. … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Aetna to Pay California $935K for HIV Envelope Privacy Fiasco
April 5, 2019
Case: The price tag for the privacy snafu that occurred in July 2017 when Aetna mailed12,000 beneficiaries sensitive information about their HIV medication in envelopes with a transparent window keeps … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Traps to Avoid: Giving Ex-Lab Employees Access to PHI
March 27, 2019
Your lab staff understands the imperative of safeguarding personal health information (PHI) and wouldn't let strangers roam about the facilities freely. But it's easy for them to lower their guard … [Read more...]
REIMBURSEMENT
Labs In Court: A roundup of recent cases and enforcement actions involving the diagnostics industry
January 23, 2019
Tennessee Pain Doctor Faces Jail for Opioid Abuses, Medicare Fraud Case: The doctor is facing 45 charges, including 22 counts of illegal distribution of a controlled substance for routinely … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Aetna Settles with States of Victims of HIV Meds Envelope Privacy Snafu
November 2, 2018
Case: Aetna is still paying for a disastrous miscalculation that may have revealed the HIV status of 12,000 beneficiaries that occurred in July 2017 when it mailed them information about their HIV … [Read more...]
CYBERSECURITY
HIPAA Briefing: Can Patients Sue Labs for Privacy Breaches?
July 31, 2018
Violating HIPAA restrictions subjects your lab to fines and other penalties dished out by the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and other regulators. But can the individual victims whose personal … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Traps to Avoid: Aetna, HIPAA and the $17+ Million Envelope Mishap
March 12, 2018
When mailing sensitive personal medical information to patients, it is probably best to avoid transparent window envelopes. One of America's biggest health insurance companies just learned this lesson … [Read more...]
CASE OF THE MONTH
The eClinicalWorks EHR Settlement—Big Fines & Unprecedented CIA Obligations
June 29, 2017
With all the money it generates, it was only a matter of time before Electronic Health Records (EHR) technology got caught up in the False Claims Act dragnet. (See the related story on EHR … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Compliance Perspective: How to Comply with New OSHA Electronic Injury Recordkeeping & Reporting Rules
May 15, 2017
Does your lab facility have 250 or more employees? Has your employee count reached 250 or more at any time during the 2016 calendar year? Is your lab part of a hospital that has … [Read more...]
