HIPAA Basics
HIPAA Is the Acronym For: What It Means in 2026
It's the Most Misspelled Acronym in Healthcare — And Most People Get the Meaning Wrong Too I once sat in a compliance meeting where
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Covered Entities
A collection of 110 posts
HIPAA Privacy Rule
HIPAA Privacy Rule Applies to Which of the Following?
A therapist in private practice once told me she didn't think HIPAA applied to her because she wasn't a hospital. A
Incidental Disclosure
Examples of Incidental Disclosure Under HIPAA
The Conversation a Patient Overheard in Your Waiting Room A patient sits in your waiting room. She hears the receptionist confirm an appointment for another
HIPAA Laws
What Are HIPAA Laws? A Plain-English Breakdown
A dermatology practice in New England paid $150,000 to the Office for Civil Rights because a single employee left a spreadsheet of patient names
Healthcare Fraud
Definition of Fraud in Healthcare: What HIPAA Teams Must Know
A $4.3 Billion Problem Hiding in Plain Sight In 2023, the Department of Justice recovered over $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments related
Healthcare Fraud and Abuse
What Is Fraud and Abuse in Healthcare? A HIPAA Guide
A physician in South Florida billed Medicare for over $100 million in home health services that were never provided. Patients who were perfectly healthy showed
HIPAA Compliance
Who Does HIPAA Apply To? The Real Answer May Surprise You
A home health aide in Georgia texts a photo of a patient's wound to a family member — using her personal phone, over an
HIPAA Compliance
Examples of HIPAA Compliance Standards of Use in 2026
A Receptionist, a Sticky Note, and a $1.5 Million Fine A front-desk employee at a medical clinic wrote down a patient's Social
PHI
What Can PHI Consist Of? A Practical Breakdown
The Spreadsheet That Cost a Hospital $4.3 Million In 2019, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center lost a final appeal and faced
HIPAA Fines and Penalties
HIPAA Fines and Penalties: What Every Org Risks in 2026
In February 2023, Banner Health agreed to pay $1.25 million to the Office for Civil Rights after a hacking incident exposed the electronic protected
PHI
What Does the Acronym PHI Stand For in HIPAA?
A front-desk employee at a small cardiology practice in Texas emailed a spreadsheet of patient names, diagnoses, and Social Security numbers to her personal Gmail
PHI
What Is Considered PHI Information Under HIPAA?
A hospital employee in Texas once posted a photo of a whiteboard in a break room. In the background, barely legible, was a patient'