Recent HIPAA News

A HIPAA compliance violation is any act or omission by a HIPAA Covered Entity or HIPAA Business Associate that fails to meet a requirement, standard, implementation specification, or prohibition in the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA [...]

Criminal penalties for HIPAA violations apply when a person knowingly obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information in violation of federal law, with maximum penalties that range from a fine of up to $50,000 and [...]

Financial penalties for HIPAA violations include civil monetary penalties assessed by the HHS Office for Civil Rights under a tiered framework, monetary settlements paid to resolve enforcement actions, and costs tied to corrective action obligations, [...]

HIPAA requirements for healthcare providers include complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule use and disclosure standards and individual rights, implementing the HIPAA Security Rule safeguards for electronic protected health information, meeting the HIPAA Breach Notification [...]

HIPAA applies to school nurses only when the nurse is working for a HIPAA Covered Entity and the health information involved is protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, while most health records maintained [...]

Recent HIPAA compliance regulatory changes consist of a federal court vacating most of the 2024 HIPAA Privacy Rule amendments for reproductive health information while leaving certain Notice of Privacy Practices requirements in effect with a [...]

HIPAA sets the legal and operational requirements that healthcare organizations follow to protect protected health information, standardize permitted uses and disclosures, implement security safeguards for electronic protected health information, notify affected parties when unsecured protected [...]

Addressing HIPAA penalties in business associate agreements requires allocating responsibility for compliance failures, defining breach reporting and cooperation duties that support HIPAA Breach Notification Rule timelines, and establishing contractual remedies that manage financial exposure when [...]

Dropbox is not HIPAA compliant by default, and it is only appropriate for storing or sharing protected health information when the healthcare organization uses an eligible Dropbox team plan, executes a Business Associate Agreement with [...]

Protected Health Information is individually identifiable information, in any form or medium, that relates to an individual’s past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to the individual, or [...]

HIPAA compliance regulations are the federal regulatory requirements that implement the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and govern how HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates use, disclose, safeguard, and respond to compromises [...]

HIPAA compliance guidelines for Business Associates require a signed Business Associate Agreement with the Covered Entity, implementation of HIPAA Security Rule safeguards for electronic protected health information, compliance with applicable HIPAA Privacy Rule provisions governing [...]

HIPAA does not apply to individuals and organizations that are not HIPAA Covered Entities or Business Associates, even when they handle health-related information, unless they perform functions or services for a covered entity that involve [...]

HIPAA compliance software is a category of tools used by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates to manage, track, and retain documentation that supports compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA [...]

A HIPAA compliance checklist is a documented control list used by a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate to verify implementation and ongoing operation of requirements under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and [...]

Handling HIPAA violations in healthcare organizations requires prompt containment of the incident, a documented investigation that determines whether protected health information was impermissibly used or disclosed, application of the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule breach risk [...]

The consequences of non-compliance with HIPAA include civil monetary penalties, mandatory corrective action obligations, government monitoring, and criminal penalties for certain knowing misconduct involving individually identifiable health information. Enforcement actions can require changes to privacy [...]

A HIPAA compliance certificate is a document issued by a training provider or program that records an individual’s completion of HIPAA staff training, and it is not an official government-issued certification of organizational HIPAA compliance. [...]

HIPAA implications for healthcare compliance include implementing and maintaining policies, procedures, workforce practices, and vendor controls that ensure uses and disclosures of protected health information comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, electronic protected health information [...]

HIPAA requirements for healthcare data transmission require HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates to transmit protected health information only for permitted purposes under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, to limit transmitted information under the HIPAA Minimum [...]

HIPAA violation fines for non-compliance include civil monetary penalties assessed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights using tiered, inflation-adjusted dollar ranges per violation, and criminal fines that can be [...]

A patient’s rights are a required operational component of HIPAA compliance because the HIPAA Privacy Rule mandates processes that allow individuals to access and obtain copies of protected health information, request amendments, receive an accounting [...]

HIPAA guidelines for nursing students require protecting protected health information in any format, using or disclosing protected health information only for authorized education and patient care purposes, applying the HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule when the [...]

Documenting HIPAA compliance requires maintaining written and retained evidence that required HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule controls are implemented, operating, and updated for the protected health information an organization [...]

HIPAA compliance in mental health is implemented by applying the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule to psychotherapy notes, mental health records, care coordination, billing, telehealth, [...]

HIPAA was enacted on August 21, 1996, when President Bill Clinton signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191, creating federal statutory requirements that later became the HIPAA Administrative Simplification [...]

HIPAA compliance and penalty avoidance are achieved by implementing documented HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule controls, maintaining evidence of those controls through policies and records, and operating a risk-based [...]

HIPAA compliance in cloud computing is addressed by selecting cloud services that support HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule requirements, executing a Business Associate Agreement when the cloud provider creates, receives, maintains, or transmits [...]

The key provisions of HIPAA establish national standards for the privacy and security of protected health information, define when and how protected health information may be used and disclosed, require safeguards for electronic protected health [...]

HIPAA risk management requirements are met when a covered entity or business associate conducts an accurate and thorough assessment of potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information [...]

A HIPAA compliance officer is responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring an organization’s HIPAA compliance program to meet requirements under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, including governance, documentation, [...]

HIPAA violations are reported by documenting the facts, notifying the organization through its designated compliance reporting channel or privacy or security official, and submitting a complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services Office [...]

HIPAA benefits patients by restricting non-permitted uses and disclosures of protected health information, requiring safeguards for health information, and granting individuals enforceable rights over their health records under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, [...]

Handle HIPAA violations in telemedicine practices by stopping the improper activity, preserving evidence, assessing whether protected health information was impermissibly used or disclosed under the HIPAA Privacy Rule and whether electronic protected health information safeguards [...]

Improper disposal of protected health information can lead to enforcement action by the HHS Office for Civil Rights that includes corrective action requirements and civil money penalties, can trigger breach notification duties under the HIPAA [...]

HIPAA requires covered healthcare providers that transmit certain healthcare transactions electronically, along with health plans and healthcare clearinghouses, to use federally adopted standard transaction formats, standard code sets, and standard identifiers for those transactions under [...]

HIPAA compliance can be improved by strengthening governance, documentation, and operational controls that support consistent performance under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule for protected health information. Improvement work [...]

HIPAA penalties for data breaches and cyberattacks include HHS Office for Civil Rights civil money penalties or settlement payments, plus corrective action obligations, when a covered entity or business associate violates the HIPAA Privacy Rule, [...]

A person becomes a HIPAA compliance officer by obtaining education and experience in healthcare compliance and privacy, developing working knowledge of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and demonstrating [...]

A HIPAA compliance audit can be conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, by the organization’s own internal audit or compliance function, or by an independent external assessor retained [...]

A business can achieve HIPAA compliance by confirming whether it is a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate, identifying where protected health information is created, received, maintained, or transmitted, and implementing documented policies, agreements, safeguards, [...]

HIPAA patient rights are the individual rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule that give a person control over how protected health information is used and disclosed, require transparency through privacy notices, allow access to and [...]

Improper access controls can lead to Office for Civil Rights enforcement under the HIPAA Security Rule and the HIPAA Privacy Rule, with civil monetary penalties that can reach $73,011 per violation and up to $2,190,294 [...]

Organizations handle HIPAA compliance breaches effectively by promptly containing the incident, preserving evidence, conducting a documented breach risk assessment under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, completing required notifications within applicable timeframes, and implementing corrective actions [...]

HIPAA compliance policies are implemented in healthcare by converting HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule requirements into written, role-based procedures that are trained, enforced, audited, and [...]

HIPAA protects against genetic information discrimination by treating genetic information held by a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate as protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, restricting when that information may be used [...]

Handling HIPAA violations in data breaches requires immediate containment, a documented investigation and breach risk assessment under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, timely notifications to affected individuals and regulators when required, remediation under the HIPAA [...]