On Sept. 9, 2019, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the HHS agency in charge of federal HIPAA enforcement, did something it had never done before by entering into a monetary settlement with a … [Read more...]
Coronavirus and Patient Privacy: How the HIPAA Rules Change During a Public Health Emergency
March 2, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has officially been declared a public health emergency. And the usual HIPAA Privacy restrictions on collecting, using and disclosing patients’ personal health information (PHI) … [Read more...]
HIPAA Compliance: Quest Pays $195K to Settle Class Action for HIV Data Breach
January 27, 2020
Government fines, public embarrassment, loss of provider and patient trust. As if these consequences weren’t scary enough, massive PHI breaches can expose your lab to a new kind of risk: class action … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives: New Laws & the Top 5 Challenges Lab Compliance Officers Face in 2020
January 2, 2020
Labs remain at the forefront of the federal government’s suspicious persons list and health care fraud enforcement agenda. But in addition to the customary laws that labs are used to, the government … [Read more...]
HIPAA Compliance: Quest Pays $195K to Settle Class Action for HIV Data Breach
November 28, 2019
Government fines, public embarrassment, loss of provider and patient trust. As if these consequences weren’t scary enough, massive PHI breaches can expose your lab to a new kind of risk: class action … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives: Avoid HIPAA Violations When Denying Patient Requests to Amend PHI
October 17, 2019
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 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...]
