Tag Archives: ePHI

The Use of Smart Speakers in Healthcare

By Paulette Thomas on Posted in HIPAA, Medical Privacy
Smart speakers are voice-activated, internet-connected devices with an integrated virtual assistant that can answer questions, follow instructions and control other smart devices. Nearly one in five U.S. adults has access to a smart speaker, and it has been estimated that in 2018, the number of smart speakers installed reached 100 million worldwide. Using voice recognition, … Continue Reading

Provisioning Workforce Access to Electronic Protected Health Information: It May Be ‘Common Sense,’ but Is It Easy to Implement?

By Paulette Thomas on Posted in HIPAA
In December 2018, Pagosa Springs Medical Center settled potential Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rule violations and entered into a corrective action plan with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The incident involved a former employee who continued to have remote … Continue Reading

$2.75 Million OCR Settlement Underscores the Importance of Risk Management and Analysis

Photo of Lynn SessionsBy Lynn Sessions and Suchismita Pahi on Posted in Uncategorized
How the theft of a single password-protected laptop turned into an enterprise-wide review of an organization’s data protection practices. Following the announcement of a recent settlement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Catholic Health Care Services, OCR has announced another significant settlement agreement and corrective action … Continue Reading

Another Day, Another OCR Resolution Agreement – Numerous Repeated Breaches Lead to $3.5 Million Settlement

By Suchismita Pahi on Posted in Uncategorized
On the heels of the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center resolution agreement, OCR announced a resolution agreement with Triple-S Management Corporation and its subsidiaries, Triple-S Salud Inc. and Triple-C Inc. (collectively “Triple-S”). As part of the announcement, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Jocelyn Samuels flagged two specific areas for covered entities to focus their … Continue Reading
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