On Dec. 10, with just a few weeks remaining in its tenure, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) proposed a series of changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Public comments on the proposed rule were … [Read more...]
HIPAA
Proposed HIPAA Privacy Rule: The 9 Changes That Will Have an Immediate Impact on Lab Operations
March 17, 2021
HIPAA Enforcement
New OCR Data Shed Light on the Costs of Privacy Noncompliance
March 17, 2021
HIPAA enforcement isn’t nearly as fat a cash cow as enforcement of False Claims Act (FCA) and other healthcare fraud laws is, it still takes a lot of money out of the pockets of providers and into the … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends:
New Administration Continues OCR HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
February 22, 2021
Although the Biden administration has signaled its intention to revisit just about every healthcare regulatory initiative of its predecessor, one enforcement undertaking seems to be continuing … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
4.3 Million Is Too High a Penalty for HIPAA Violation, Says Federal Court
February 19, 2021
Case: A federal appeals court has shot down what had been the fourth largest OCR penalty for a HIPAA violation as having “no lawful basis.” That decision means that instead of $4.3 million, the … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
CLIA Lab Subject to HIPAA Not Necessarily Exempt from State Medical Privacy Law
February 16, 2021
Case: Plasma donors filed a class action claiming that a plasma donation company’s use of a donor-identification system based on a donor’s fingerprints and biometric information without consent … [Read more...]
Labs In Court
A roundup of recent cases and enforcement actions involving the diagnostics industry
January 30, 2021
$4.3 Million Is Too High a Penalty for HIPAA Violation, Says Federal Court Case: A federal appeals court has shot down what had been the fourth largest OCR penalty for a HIPAA violation as having … [Read more...]
Labs In Court: A roundup of recent cases and enforcement actions involving the diagnostics industry
January 10, 2021
LabCorp Can Sue Physician to Collect $117K Worth of “Pass-Through” Charges for Uninsured Patients Case: Labs like LabCorp typically enter “pass-through” arrangements with physicians covering … [Read more...]
HIPAA
HHS Proposes Significant Value-Based Care Changes to HIPAA Privacy Rule
December 21, 2020
As its days dwindle down, the current administration is mobilizing for one final push to reduce what it perceives to be unnecessarily burdensome regulation, including on the medical privacy front. On … [Read more...]
Focus On
OCR Audit Gives Providers Mixed Results for HIPAA Compliance
December 20, 2020
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) requires the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to periodically audit covered entities and business associates for … [Read more...]
Enforcement Scorecard
The HIPAA Information Access Rights Crackdown Continues
November 18, 2020
The face of federal HIPAA enforcement has changed in a subtle but significant way in the past 18 months. Historically, the focus has been all about keeping personal health information (PHI) private … [Read more...]
