HIPAA Compliance Insights

HIPAA for IT Professionals

HIPAA for IT Professionals: What Your Team Must Know

In 2023, OCR settled with a healthcare system for $1.25 million after investigators discovered that an IT department had failed to implement adequate access

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA for Mental Health

HIPAA for Mental Health Professionals: A Compliance Guide

In 2022, OCR settled with a psychiatric practice in New England for $150,000 after an impermissible disclosure of a patient's mental health

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA Guide

HIPAA Guide: What Every Covered Entity Must Get Right

In February 2024, OCR announced a $4.75 million settlement with Montefiore Medical Center after a workforce member stole the protected health information of over

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA HITECH Certification

HIPAA HITECH Certification: What It Actually Means

When the Cottage Health System paid $3 million to settle HIPAA violations in 2019, their breach affected over 62,000 patients — and a key finding

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA HR Compliance

HIPAA HR Compliance: What Every HR Department Must Know

In 2023, a mid-sized employer's HR department forwarded an employee's medical certification for FMLA leave to the employee's direct

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA Identifiers

HIPAA Identifier Rules: The 18 PHI Identifiers Explained

In 2023, a mid-sized health plan paid $1.3 million to settle with OCR after a breach investigation revealed that staff had been sharing spreadsheets

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA Identifiers

HIPAA Identifiers PHI: The 18 Data Elements You Must Protect

In 2023, OCR settled with a health system for $1.3 million after an investigation revealed that employee spreadsheets containing patient names, dates of birth,

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 28, 2022

HIPAA Authorization

HIPAA Information Release Form: What You Must Include

In 2023, OCR investigated a mid-sized hospital system that disclosed five years of patient records to a life insurance company based on an authorization form

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 6, 2022

HIPAA Law

HIPAA Law: What Every Healthcare Organization Must Know

In February 2024, OCR settled with a healthcare provider for $480,000 after investigators found the organization had failed to conduct a risk analysis, neglected

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 6, 2022

HIPAA Law Cases

HIPAA Law Cases That Changed Enforcement Forever

In February 2023, Banner Health agreed to a $1.25 million settlement with the Office for Civil Rights after a 2016 breach exposed the protected

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 6, 2022

HIPAA Laws for Dental Offices

HIPAA Laws for Dental Offices: What You Must Know

In 2022, a small dental practice in North Carolina agreed to a $50,000 settlement with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) after a patient

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 6, 2022

HIPAA Laws

What HIPAA Laws Protect and How to Stay Compliant

In January 2024, OCR settled with a New England dermatology practice for $300,000 after a breach exposed the electronic protected health information of nearly

Carl B. Johnson · Jan 4, 2022