Enforcement Trends: Record Breaking Year for HIPAA Fines

The federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reports that 2018 was a record year for HIPAA enforcement, with 10 settlements and one judgment bringing in $28.7 million in fines, easily surpassing the old record of $23.5 million set in 2016. The highlight of 2018 HIPAA enforcement was the $16 million settlement with Anthem, the OCR’s largest ever HIPAA settlement. Here’s the entire Top 10 settlements list.

1. Anthem, Inc.: $16 million
2. Fresenius Medical Care North America: $3.5 million
3. Cottage Health: $3 million
4. Massachusetts General Hospital: $515,000
5. Advanced Care Hospitalists: $500,000
6. Brigham & Women’s Hospital: $384,000
7. Allergy Associates of Hartford (Conn.): $125,000
8. Pagosa Springs (Colo.) Medical Center: $111,400
9. Filefax(tie): $100,000
10. Boston Medical Center(tie): $100,000

The lone judgment the OCR obtained was for $4.348 million against MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.