The prevalence of ransomware attacks is increasing. In fact, “[o]n average, more than 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred daily since January 1, 2016,” according to a recent interagency government report. Given this known threat, contingency planning by hospitals becomes even more important. This …
Federal Trade Commission Releases New Mobile Health Apps Interactive Tool
April 19, 2016 Leave a Comment
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in conjunction with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration, have developed a new web-based interactive tool to assist developers of health-related mobile apps identify …
Get Your Questions Ready
October 6, 2015 Leave a Comment
A lot has changed since the HIPAA Privacy Rule was finalized in 2002 and the HIPAA Security Rule was finalized a year later in 2003. The iPhone had not been released (that happened in 2007), Apple had just released the iTunes store, the first “do not call” list law was passed, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was …
Office for Civil Rights Selects Vendor for Next Round of HIPAA Audits – Five Things You Should Do to Prepare
September 3, 2015 Leave a Comment
The Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) has selected Ashburn, Virginia-based FCi Federal to conduct the next round of HIPAA audits mandated by the HITECH Act. OCR views the audits as a compliance tool that will hopefully get out in front of industry problems before they happen. This round is different than …
HIPAA Enforcement Action, Breaches and Pilot Audits
April 21, 2015 Leave a Comment
During the HCCA Compliance on Monday, April 20, 2015, Iliana Peters, Senior Advisor for HIPAA Compliance and Enforcement, HHS Office of Civil Rights, presented “Lessons Learned from Recent HIPAA Enforcement Action, Breaches and Pilot Audits”. What’s to Come: Peters noted that OCR is still working on …
OCR Releases Protocol for HITECH-Mandated Audits
July 2, 2012 Leave a Comment
OCR Releases Protocol for HITECH-Mandated Audits The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, requires HHS to periodically audit covered entities and business associates for compliance with applicable …