Articles and Blogs

The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced a $300,640 settlement and corrective action plan with a dermatology provider over the improper disposal of protected health information (“PHI”). Background In May of 2021, the dermatology provider reported a breach to OCR when empty specimen containers with PHI on... READ MORE

A North Carolina dental practice (“Practice”) has been fined $50,000 following a Notice of Final Determination regarding a violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In the Notice of Proposed Determination, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) stated that a patient visited the Practice in 2013 and... READ MORE

Tuesday, May 5 Recap Note – ​We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change ​as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found ​on the COVID-19 ​Resource ​Center page ​of Hall Render’s website.​ CMS Uploads New Medicare 1135 Waiver Document CMS issued a new document... READ MORE

Friday, April 10 Recap Note – ​We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change ​as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found ​on the COVID-19 ​Resource ​Center page ​of Hall Render’s website.​ HHS Delivers Initial $30 Billion in CARES Act Provider Funding HHS announced... READ MORE

Monday, March 30 Recap Note – ​We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change ​as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found ​on the COVID-19 ​Resource ​Center page ​of Hall Render’s website.​ CMS Updates Waivers & Flexibilities Late this afternoon, CMS updated the waivers... READ MORE

Saturday, March 21 Recap Note – ​We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change ​as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found ​on the COVID-19 ​Resource ​Center page ​of Hall Render’s website.​ Congressional Outlook After 12 hours of negotiation on Friday, Republicans and Democrats... READ MORE

Recently, there has been increased indication that patients, attorneys and the government are fed up with the fees that are being charged by providers when patients request access to or copies of their medical records. Providers who do not understand the type of request being made and the applicable fee rules that apply under... READ MORE

Citing its “Right of Access Initiative,” on September 9, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that a hospital in Florida (the “Hospital”) will settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) by paying a civil penalty of $85,000 and adopting a corrective... READ MORE

The Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a factsheet detailing ten ways a business associate can be held directly liable for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), as provided by the Health Information Technology for Economic Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act of 2009. Although covered entities are ultimately responsible... READ MORE

The Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced that a health system in California (the “System”) was required to pay a $3 million fine and adopt an extensive corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). The System operates several hospitals, including a rehabilitation hospital... READ MORE