HIPAA Compliance Insights

Minimum Necessary Standard

What Does It Mean to Follow the Minimum Necessary Standard

In 2022, a specialty clinic in the Midwest disclosed an entire patient record — surgical history, psychiatric notes, billing details — to an employer conducting a routine

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

HIPAA Basics

What Does the Abbreviation HIPAA Mean? Purpose Explained

In 2023, OCR settled with a health system for $1.3 million after investigators found systemic failures in safeguarding patient records — failures that traced back

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

HIPAA Security Rule

What Does the HIPAA Security Rule Establish Safeguards to Protect?

In February 2024, OCR announced a $4.75 million settlement with Montefiore Medical Center after a former employee stole electronic protected health information (ePHI) of

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

Privacy Rule

What Does the Privacy Rule Grant to Patients?

In 2023, OCR settled with a health system for $40,000 after the organization failed to provide a patient timely access to her own medical

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

HIPAA Violations

What Happens If You Violate HIPAA: Penalties Explained

In February 2023, OCR settled with Banner Health for $1.25 million after a breach affecting over 2.81 million individuals exposed systemic failures in

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

HIPAA Compliance

What Information Is Not Protected by HIPAA

A hospital's HR department shared an employee's sick leave records with a manager, and the employee filed a complaint with the

Carl B. Johnson · May 24, 2023

HIPAA BAA

What Is a HIPAA BAA and Why Your Organization Needs One

In 2023, OCR settled with a health system for $1.25 million after discovering that the organization had allowed a vendor to access protected health

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023

HIPAA Rules

What Is a HIPAA Rule? A Practical Compliance Guide

In 2023, OCR settled with Banner Health for $1.25 million after a breach affecting nearly 3 million individuals exposed critical failures across multiple HIPAA

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023

HIPAA Violation

What Is a Violation of HIPAA? Real Examples and Risks

In February 2023, OCR settled with Banner Health for $1.25 million after a breach affected nearly 3 million patients — the result of insufficient access

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023

HIPAA

What Is HIPAA and HITECH: A Compliance Guide

In February 2011, a major health system paid $4.3 million to settle with the Office for Civil Rights after stolen laptops exposed the electronic

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023

HIPAA Basics

What Is HIPAA and What Is Its Purpose in Healthcare

In 2023, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settled or imposed penalties in cases totaling over $4 million — all stemming from organizations that failed to

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023

HIPAA Authorization

What Is HIPAA Authorization at Kaiser: A Practical Guide

In 2024, Kaiser Permanente disclosed that a tracking technology breach potentially exposed the protected health information of 13.4 million individuals — one of the largest

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 4, 2023