HIPAA Compliance Insights

OCR HIPAA

OCR HIPAA Enforcement: What's Changed and What It Means

A single unencrypted laptop stolen from a parked car cost Concentra Health Services $1,725,220. The laptop contained patient names, dates of birth, Social

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 25, 2026

HIPAA Permissions

How Many HIPAA Defined Permissions Exist? A Clear Answer

A hospital administrator once told me she thought there were only three reasons you could share patient data: treatment, payment, and "when the lawyers

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 25, 2026

Business Associates

Examples of Business Associates HIPAA: Who Counts?

The Vendor That Cost a Health System $4.3 Million In 2016, Advocate Health Care agreed to pay $5.55 million to HHS after multiple

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 25, 2026

Types of PHI

Types of PHI: What Counts as Protected Health Info

A Receptionist, a Fax Machine, and a $1.5 Million Mistake I once worked with a specialty clinic where a front-desk employee faxed a patient&

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 24, 2026

HIPAA Privacy Rule

Business Associates Must Comply With HIPAA Privacy Standards

In 2018, a medical records company called Advanced Care Hospitalists paid $500,000 to settle HIPAA violations after a billing services contractor gained access to

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 24, 2026

HIPAA Security Certification

HIPAA Security Certification: What It Really Gets You

A compliance officer at a midsize cardiology practice once told me she'd spent $4,200 on a "HIPAA security certification" for

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 24, 2026

HIPAA Training

HIPAA Training for Employees: What You Actually Get

A medical practice in New York thought they'd saved money by pulling together a makeshift HIPAA training for employees from scattered online resources

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 23, 2026

Minimum Necessary Standard

Minimum Necessary Standard HIPAA: A Practical Guide

A hospital billing clerk in Texas pulls up a patient's full medical record — psychiatric notes, HIV status, substance abuse history — just to verify

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 23, 2026

HIPAA HITECH Act

What Is the HIPAA HITECH Act? A Practical Guide

A $5.55 Million Wake-Up Call That Rewrote the Rules In 2017, Memorial Healthcare System paid $5.55 million to settle HIPAA violations after employees

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 23, 2026

HIPAA Law

What's the HIPAA Law? A Plain-English Breakdown

A hospital receptionist in Texas emails a patient's lab results to the wrong address. Within 48 hours, that patient's HIV status

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 22, 2026

HIPAA CE

HIPAA CE: What Counts and What Your Staff Actually Needs

The Spreadsheet That Cost a Health System $4.3 Million In 2023, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital settled with OCR for $240,000 after 23 security

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 22, 2026

HIPAA Forms

HIPAA Form Basics Every Covered Entity Needs in 2026

Last year, a small orthopedic clinic in Virginia got a letter from HHS. Not the good kind. An investigation revealed they'd been using

Carl B. Johnson · Jun 22, 2026