Office for Civil Rights HIPAA enforcement actions, investigations, and compliance strategies
A small pediatric clinic in Colorado thought they had HIPAA handled. They'd trained their staff once — back in 2014. When OCR came knocking
A Receptionist, a Phone Call, and a $1.5 Million Problem A hospital receptionist confirmed a patient's diagnosis to someone who claimed to
In February 2011, a health plan called Cignet Health of Prince George's County, Maryland received a $4.3 million civil monetary penalty from
A mental health counselor in private practice once told me she didn't need to worry about HIPAA because she wasn't a
In August 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a law that most people in healthcare couldn't even pronounce correctly. Thirty years later, that same
A hospital employee in Texas forwarded a patient's lab results to a family member who called and asked nicely. No written authorization. No
In February 2023, Banner Health agreed to pay $1.25 million to the Office for Civil Rights after a breach exposed the ePHI of nearly
A 22-employee cardiology practice in Tennessee paid $2.3 million to settle HIPAA violations in 2020 — and the root cause wasn't a sophisticated
Here's something that surprises most people in healthcare: HHS does not issue or endorse any official certification for HIPAA. There's no
Last year I got a call from the owner of a medical billing company in Ohio. She'd just received a letter from the
The Text That Cost a Practice Everything A physician texted a colleague a photo of a patient's wound for a quick consult. Standard
A pediatric clinic in Idaho had a binder on the shelf labeled "HIPAA Compliance Plan." It was printed in 2017, never updated, and
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