Tag Archives: ePHI

To state the obvious, there has been some uncertainty regarding how the Trump Administration will affect federal agency enforcement efforts.  However, at least, in regard to HIPAA Privacy and Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”), appears to be unchanging in its previous course.

In the first four months of 2017, OCR has already announced seven settlements with covered entities and business associates with fines totaling over $14 million.  For some context, OCR assessed over $23.5 million in 2016, which was a record-breaking year.  These settlements are in addition to Phase 2 of OCR’s Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Audit Program, which started in 2016 and is likely still underway. Read More ›