Compliance and Regulations

Stay up-to-date of data protection regulations updates and industry compliance standards evolution. Learn about HIPAA, GDPR and data protection laws, compliance requirements specific to your industry, and stay up-to-date on legal developments affecting security practices. Stay inform on notable data breaches and security incidents related.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Settles Lawsuit and Ernest Health’s Recent Lawsuit

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Pay $8 Million to Settle Class Action Data Breach Lawsuit The law agency Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe based in San Francisco, CA is paying $8 million to settle a class action lawsuit associated with a cyberattack … Read more

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Settles Lawsuit and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pixel-Related Lawsuit

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Settles Class Action Data Breach Lawsuit for $6 Million Reproductive healthcare services provider Planned Parenthood Los Angeles located in Los Angeles County proposed a $6 million settlement to take care of all claims associated with a … Read more

How to Make Microsoft 365 HIPAA Compliant

The way to make Microsoft 365 HIPAA compliant so it can be used to create, receive, store, or transmit Protected Health Information is to subscribe to a plan that supports HIPAA compliance and configure each product or service within the … Read more

How to Make Google Workspace HIPAA Compliant

The way to make Google Workspace HIPAA compliant is to subscribe to a Workspace Plan that supports HIPAA compliance, agree to the terms of Google’s Business Associate Addendum, and configure the core services included in the Workspace plan to mitigate … Read more

HIPAA Email Rules - Defensorum.com

HIPAA Email Rules

The HIPAA email rules apply whenever an email containing Protected Health Information is sent, received, or stored by a HIPAA covered entity or business associate – except for when exemptions apply or when a state law has more stringent privacy … Read more

Credential Harvesting Prevention and Alert Against Volt Typhoon Threat

HHS Offers Guidance on Credential Harvesting Mitigations The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) has given a healthcare and public health (HPH) sector advisory regarding credential harvesting, a frequent tactic employed in cyberattacks on the HPH sector by online hackers. … Read more

Is Zelle HIPAA compliant? Defensorum.com

Does Zelle Need to be HIPAA Compliant?

Zelle does not need to be HIPAA compliant before covered entities can use the fund transfer service to collect payments from patients and plan members because of an exemption in HIPAA for payment processors. However, covered entities must ensure that, … Read more

Is IVY Pay HIPAA Compliant?

Is it Necessary for Ivy Pay to be HIPAA Compliant?

It is necessary for Ivy Pay to be HIPAA compliant if a healthcare provider who qualifies as a HIPAA covered or hybrid entity wants to use the payment processing software for functions that involve uses and disclosures of Protected Health … Read more

Reports of Cyberattacks and Data Breaches by Valley Oaks Health, Sycamore Rehabilitation Services, Humana Inc., and Jewish Home Lifecare

50,000-Record Data Breach at Valley Oaks Health, Indiana Valley Oaks Health based in Niles, IL recently informed 50,352 persons concerning a breach of its system environment. Unauthorized persons acquired access to sections of its system from June 8, 2023 to … Read more

Does PayPal Need to be HIPAA Compliant to Accept Payments for Healthcare?

Does PayPal Need to be HIPAA Compliant to Accept Payments for Healthcare?

PayPal does not need to be HIPAA compliant to accept payments for healthcare due to an exemption in HIPAA that applies to all banks and financial institutions for payment processing. However, banks and financial institutions do need to be HIPAA … Read more

Email Account Breaches Reported by McKenzie County Healthcare System and Maryville Addiction Treatment Centers

Email Account Breach Reported by McKenzie County Healthcare System McKenzie County Healthcare System located in North Dakota has discovered unauthorized access to the email account of a staff member. The breach was discovered on or about October 5, 2023, and … Read more

Reported Data Breaches by Medical Management Resource Group, Prime Healthcare, AGC Flat Glass North America, and Aspen Dental

2.35M Patients Affected by Medical Management Resource Group Breach Medical Management Resource Group, LLC (MMRG), also called American Vision Partners, has confirmed in a breach notification letter sent to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights that the protected health information … Read more

Data Brokers Should Be Held Responsible for Misusing Geolocation Information

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking for action to secure people and investors from Near Intelligence Inc., a publicly owned data broker. Sen. Wyden began investigating … Read more

U.S. Health Department Expands National Health Data Exchange with New QHINs

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), recently announced the expansion of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) with two new entries to its network. … Read more

Italian Data Protection Authority Accuses ChatGPT of violating GDPR

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Faces Data Protection Challenges in Italy. In a press release published on Monday January 29, the italian data protection authority, Garante, has taken a firm stance against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for potential breaches of the European Union’s … Read more

Cyberattack and Data Breaches at Anna Jaques Hospital, NYC Health + Hospitals, and Corewell Health Business Associate

Anna Jaques Hospital Cyberattack on Christmas Day Anna Jaques Hospital located in Newburyport, MA, encountered a cyberattack on Christmas Day that caused an interruption to its health record system. It was decided to redirect ambulances to other nearby hospitals until … Read more

MOVEit Hack Impacts Delta Dental of California and Pan-American Life Insurance Group

MOVEit Hack Impacts 7 Million People from Delta Dental of California Delta Dental of California reported that it suffered from a mass exploitation conducted by the Clop hacking group of a zero-day vulnerability identified in the MOVEit Transfer solution by … Read more

New York Presbyterian Hospital Pays $300K Fine for Using Website Pixel

New York Presbyterian Hospital has decided to resolve alleged Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule violations by paying the New York Attorney General a $300,000 financial penalty. NYP manages 10 hospitals around New York City and has … Read more

Guidance on Managing Legacy Medical Devices and Advisory Against Rhysida Ransomware Attacks

FDA Releases Guidance on Managing Legacy Medical Device Cybersecurity Risks The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a report that recommends how to handle the cybersecurity problems of legacy medical gadgets. Legacy medical gadgets are considered devices that … Read more

HIPAA Cases Against Doctors’ Management Services and Wright & Filippis Resolved

Doctors’ Management Services Resolves OCR HIPAA Case for $100,000 The HHS’ Office for Civil (OCR) has consented to resolve an investigation of a ransomware attack and data breach that revealed several potential HIPAA Security Rule violations of Doctors’ Management Services … Read more

Data Breaches Reported by Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Henwood Family Dentistry, Piedmont Healthcare and Surround Care

Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Ransomware Attack Impacts 236,000 Individuals Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery based in Virginia has reported the potential compromise of the protected health information (PHI) of around 235,931 persons in a ransomware attack last May 2023. … Read more

Advisory on Snatch Ransomware and the Lazarus Group

Feds Release Snatch Ransomware Alert After an Attack on Hospital The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have released a joint security alert regarding Snatch ransomware. The Snatch ransomware group carried out … Read more

How does HIPAA compliance apply to healthcare administration firms?

Healthcare administration firms must adhere to HIPAA compliance, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI by implementing administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, thus mitigating risks of unauthorized access or disclosure and maintaining trust in the seamless operation of healthcare … Read more

Health Care Service Corporation and Schneck Medical Center Face Lawsuit

HIPAA Lawsuit Against Schneck Medical Center Resolved Schneck Medical Center based in Seymour, IN has resolved a lawsuit with Attorney General Todd Rokita of Indiana, regarding a ransomware attack and data breach in 2021 that impacted 89,707 Indiana locals. Schneck … Read more

How can a clinical research organization ensure HIPAA compliance?

To ensure Clinical Research Organization HIPAA compliance, a Clinical Research Organization must systematically safeguard PHI through robust encryption and access controls, provide regular training to employees on data privacy, implement stringent data security policies and procedures, conduct periodic risk assessments, … Read more

How does HIPAA compliance apply to population health management?

In the field of population health management, HIPAA compliance is an important as it mandates the safeguarding of patient data and confidentiality during the collection, analysis, and sharing of health information to improve community health outcomes, thus ensuring that population … Read more

How can a health informatics company ensure HIPAA compliance?

A health informatics company can ensure HIPAA compliance by implementing rigorous data protection protocols, conducting regular training sessions for employees on safeguarding patient information, continuously monitoring and updating their systems to prevent breaches, and collaborating with legal experts to ensure … Read more

How does HIPAA compliance apply to digital health interventions?

Digital health interventions HIPAA compliance is important because it ensures that digital platforms, applications, and tools involved in delivering healthcare services adhere to the stringent standards set by HIPAA to safeguard patient data and maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability of … Read more

How can a personal care agency ensure HIPAA compliance?

A personal care agency can ensure HIPAA compliance by implementing rigorous data privacy and security measures, including training staff on the importance of protecting patient information, using encrypted communication and storage systems, conducting regular audits to identify and rectify potential … Read more

Pros and Cons of HIPAA

HIPAA has the advantage of safeguarding individuals’ medical information, ensuring their privacy, and promoting standardized electronic transactions in the healthcare industry, while its drawbacks include administrative burdens, potential barriers to efficient healthcare communication, and the risk of hindering certain forms … Read more

How to Assess Your Compliance with HIPAA Security Requirements?

Assessing your compliance with HIPAA security requirements involves conducting a comprehensive risk analysis to identify potential vulnerabilities in electronic protected health information (ePHI) handling, implementing necessary security measures to address identified risks, training staff on privacy and security policies, maintaining … Read more

How Do HIPAA Security Requirements Influence Healthcare IT Policies?

HIPAA security requirements influence healthcare IT policies by mandating the safeguarding of protected health information through the implementation of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, which leads to the adoption of measures such as regular risk assessments, encryption protocols, access controls, … Read more

What are the Consequences of Non-Compliance with HIPAA Security Requirements?

The consequences of non-compliance with HIPAA security requirements can include substantial financial penalties, potential criminal charges with imprisonment, reputational damage to the organization, loss of patient trust, potential lawsuits, increased audit scrutiny, and the burden of implementing corrective action plans … Read more

How to Implement HIPAA Security Requirements in Your IT Infrastructure?

Implementing HIPAA security requirements in your IT infrastructure necessitates conducting a comprehensive risk analysis to identify vulnerabilities, adopting robust access controls, ensuring encrypted data storage and transmission, training staff on compliance measures, regularly auditing and updating policies and procedures, integrating … Read more

How Do HIPAA Security Requirements Affect Telehealth?

HIPAA security requirements profoundly impact telehealth by mandating safeguarding patient health information through encrypted communications, secure data storage, and strict access controls, ensuring the confidentiality of medical records during remote consultations and the integrity of health data transmissions between providers … Read more

What is the Role of Encryption in HIPAA Security Requirements?

Encryption plays a major role in the HIPAA Security Requirements as it safeguards Protected Health Information (PHI) during storage and transmission, thus mitigating risks of unauthorized access or breaches and enabling healthcare entities to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of … Read more

How to Train Your Staff on HIPAA Security Requirements?

To train your staff on HIPAA security requirements, initiate a program that includes onboarding training for new hires, regular refreshers, providing clear patient data handling protocols, education on security threats like phishing, and fostering an open reporting environment. These sessions … Read more

VUMC and Norton Healthcare Face Class Action Lawsuit

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Norton Healthcare Over BlackCat Cyberattack Norton Healthcare based in Kentucky operates over 140 clinics and hospitals all across Kentucky and Southern Indiana. It is confronted with a class action lawsuit in association with a cyberattack … Read more

How Do HIPAA Security Requirements Protect Patient Data?

HIPAA security requirements protect patient data by mandating a combination of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, including risk assessments, access controls, encryption, regular audits, and personnel training, to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI) while … Read more

How to Ensure Your Practice Meets HIPAA Security Requirements?

Ensuring that your healthcare practice meets HIPAA security requirements is important, not just from a compliance perspective but also to uphold the trust and confidence of your patients. These requirements involve a combination of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to … Read more

What are the HIPAA Security Requirements for Healthcare Providers?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare providers to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Which include conducting risk assessments, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality, controlling access to protected health information (PHI), training employees, establishing contingency plans, … Read more

Approved Information Blocking Penalties and the Mission of OSHA

Approved Final Rule for Information Blocking Penalties of Up to $1 Million for Health IT Companies HHS-OIG already approved the civil monetary penalties for health IT companies that are found engaging in information blocking. Penalties of as much as $1 … Read more

When must an individual be notified of a breach in their PHI?

Under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, covered entities must provide notification to affected individuals without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 days following the discovery of a breach of unsecured PHI. According to HIPAA, covered entities (such … Read more

When did HIPAA go into effect?

The HIPAA law, enacted by the United States Congress to modernize the flow of healthcare information, ensure the security and privacy of patient data, and set guidelines for the handling of electronic protected health information, went into effect on April … Read more

When you discover that a breach in PHI security has occurred to whom should you report it?

When a breach in PHI security has been discovered, you should initially report it internally within your organization, typically to your supervisor or the designated privacy officer, and if the breach occurred at a business associate, it should also be … Read more

Final Rule on Cyber Incident Disclosures and New Nevada Consumer Health Data Bill

SEC Postpones Final Rule on Cyber Incident Disclosures The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was scheduled to release a final rule, mandating publicly traded companies to disclose important cyber breaches in their regulatory filings within four days of discovering a … Read more

When should you promote HIPAA awareness?

HIPAA awareness should be promoted on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance and foster a culture of privacy and security within organizations that handle Protected Health Information (PHI). HIPAA awareness should be promoted during employee onboarding, through regular training and … Read more

Why was HIPAA Created?

HIPAA was created to address several critical objectives in the healthcare sector, including enhancing health insurance portability, safeguarding the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI), improving healthcare administration efficiency, and combating fraud and abuse. Enacted by the U.S. … Read more

Which entity enforces HIPAA?

The enforcement of the HIPAA is carried out by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with the OCR responsible for investigating HIPAA complaints, conducting compliance reviews, performing education and outreach … Read more

Lawsuit Against Blackbaud and the New Limits of the Identity Theft Legislation

Blackbaud Had No Common Law Duty to Protect the Confidentiality of Trinity Health’s Records An Indiana district court judge has decided in support of the plaintiff in a lawsuit that alleged negligence for not preventing a breach of protected health … Read more