New England Dermatology agreed to pay $300,640 to resolve a potential HIPAA violation after it threw away specimen containers labeled with PHI in an unsecured garbage bin. The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled a case with New England Dermatology and Laser Center (NEDLC) to resolve a potential HIPAA violation involving improper protected health information (PHI) disposal. NEDLC paid $300,640 to OCR and agreed to implement a corrective action plan. The Massachusetts-based practice filed […]

With the U.S. now leading the world in monkeypox cases, providers should be aware of the symptoms and how to properly treat patient. On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the recent monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Two days later, the CDC released data that showed the U.S. with more confirmed instances of the disease than any other country at 3,846 cases, surpassing Spain’s 3,100 cases. In all, more than […]

Safety training is an important part of workplace programs. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has more than 100 standards that contain training requirements. In OSHA’s Resource for Development and Delivery of Training to Workers, the agency provides guidance on how to develop and deliver effective safety training to workers. There are several factors that contribute to successful safety training, including ensuring that the training facilitator has expertise in safety and health, sound instructional […]

Since HIPAA was signed into law more than 25 years ago, misconceptions surrounding its purpose, reach, and limitations have persisted. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those misconceptions—multiple public figures cited HIPAA as a reason not to share their vaccination status. As a result, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance emphasizing that HIPAA strictly applies to covered entities. OCR stressed that despite common misconceptions, the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not prohibit any individual, business, or […]

If you are a health care-related business or work with health care related records and information, how careful are you at following HIPAA regulations? Are you making any mistakes, even if those mistakes are inadvertent? A health care data breach that took place last year in Maine serves as an important reminder about the importance of choosing the right methods and ITAD providers for data destruction, proper disposal of hard drives and e-recycling. The HIPAA […]

If you’ve been to any type of health care provider for a check-up since 1996, you will likely recall signing a document that either denies access or gives certain people (e.g., a family member or friend) permission to accept phone calls or receive other medical information about you. That’s a HIPAA release form. Here, we’ll explain what HIPAA is, how it applies to non-medical businesses, and how your company can avoid a HIPAA violation. What […]

After experiencing a PHI breach, HIPAA-covered entities and business associates must comply with reporting requirements under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities and business associates to follow specific reporting requirements following the discovery of a protected health information (PHI) breach. If organizations fail to comply with HIPAA’s standards, they run the risk of endangering patient privacy, paying hefty noncompliance fees, and suffering reputational harm and lawsuits. Healthcare organizations […]

Whether you have recently experienced a breach or are just preparing for the worst, it’s important to know what you need to assess in the event that your practice is faced with a HIPAA incident. Any time your Protected Health Information (PHI) is exposed, whether maliciously or accidentally, your practice may be facing serious fines for a HIPAA violation. The first step is knowing what exactly is considered a breach of PHI. As defined by […]