HIPAA News

Doctor Gets Jail Time For HIPAA Violation

This month we look at a case involving a HIPAA privacy violation. This case is particularly important (and unusual) because it illustrates two points: 1) a person can get jail time for a HIPAA violation (even a misdemeanor violation), and 2) ignorance of the law does not protect you. Dr. H was in his mid-40’s when

Temporal Trends And Characteristics Of Reportable Health Data Breaches, 2010-2017

This month we look at a case involving a HIPAA privacy violation. This case is particularly important (and unusual) because it illustrates two points: 1) a person can get jail time for a HIPAA violation (even a misdemeanor violation), and 2) ignorance of the law does not protect you. Dr. H was in his mid-40’s when

Can A Patient Sue For A HIPAA Violation?

Can a patient sue for a HIPAA violation? There is no private cause of action in HIPAA, so it is not possible for a patient to sue for a HIPAA violation. Even if HIPAA Rules have clearly been violated by a healthcare provider, and harm has been suffered as a direct result, it is not possible

Boston Hospitals Cough Up $1M For ‘Boston Trauma’ HIPAA Violations

September 20, 2018 – OCR announced Sept. 20 that it has fined three Boston-area hospitals close to $1 million for HIPAA violations involving the filming of ABC’s TV series “Save My Life: Boston Trauma.”* OCR reached HIPAA settlements with Boston Medical Center (BMC), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for compromising patients’ PHI when they invited

UMass Memorial To Pay $230,000 For Healthcare Data Breaches

September 24, 2018 – UMass Memorial healthcare entities have agreed to pay $230,000 to the state of Massachusetts to resolve claims that two separate healthcare data breaches exposed PHI of more than 15,000 state residents. The lawsuit by the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) alleged that healthcare facilities received complaints about two employees accessing patients PHI to open cell phone and