HIPAA

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The State Attorneys General in New York and New Jersey recently settled with four companies over alleged HIPAA noncompliance following phishing attacks. The New Jersey settlements were brought against three NJ-based cancer care providers after a phishing attack on several employees’ email accounts. That attack resulted in the unauthorized access of the PHI of 105,200 patients. Although the providers had implemented safeguards, the NJAG concluded that those measures were insufficient to protect against reasonably anticipated threats. In particular, the NJAG was concerned that an accurate and thorough risk assessment had not been conducted, nor was there sufficient employee training. As part of the settlement, the providers agreed to pay $425,000.
Continue Reading States Catch Health Care Entities Taking the Bait in Phishing Attacks

The digital health sector has been rapidly growing, and the demand is not expected to diminish. Those in the industry will want to keep in mind some key legal concerns in the coming year, which we outline in this recent article. Privacy and cybersecurity features among these, and include more than just HIPAA concerns. There is an ever-growing patchwork of state and federal privacy laws that are being applied to the industry. At the same time, cyber threat actors are finding ways to attack even the most prepared companies in the digital health space.
Continue Reading Digital Health Trends and Privacy: What to Watch in 2022

The California AG recently reminded companies in the healthcare industry of potential data breach notification obligations beyond HIPAA. As ransomware attacks continue to rise, particularly in healthcare, companies should keep in mind the patchwork of state and federal health data privacy laws that may apply.
Continue Reading Breach of PHI? California AG Reminds Companies of Potential State Notification Obligations

Echoing other agencies in recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an alert sharing resources to address and protect institutions against the recent influx of ransomware attacks.  Resources included a White House Memo urging companies to strengthen their commitment to cybersecurity.
Continue Reading OCR Urges Private Sector to Beef Up Ransomware Protections