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Showing 25 posts in Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI).

Doe v. Guthrie Clinic, Ltd.: A New Privacy Battleground?

Most health care providers are aware of the significant liability implications of a breach of protected health information, including, in some cases, the cost of issuing a breach notification to affected individuals.  Providers have not, however, faced significant liability from patient lawsuits filed directly against a hospital or medical practice for damages arising from a breach of confidentiality.  The reason is that patients face an uphill battle when suing a hospital or medical practice directly because most laws that protect patient information, including HIPAA, do not provide a private right of action for patients to sue the provider. More >

HHS Issues Final HIPAA/HITECH Rule

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued its Final Rule modifying the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) privacy and security regulations pursuant to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) on January 17, 2013.  The Final Rule strengthens the privacy and security requirement of HIPAA governing protected health information (“PHI”) and gives HHS greater enforcement authority to police violations of the privacy and security requirements.  The Final Rule will require health care providers and their business associates to re-evaluate their HIPAA compliance policies and procedures to avoid potential liability for violations of HIPAA requirements. More >

THE “WILD WILD WEST” OF SMS

SMS text messaging is quickly becoming the preferred method of communication for many people who find it a quick and convenient way to share information with friends, family and, increasingly, with colleagues.  This is true in the health care space as well with patients increasingly using text messaging to communicate with providers and to receive health-related reminders and updates, including for health care appointments, medication therapies and health news.  For example, anyone can text the word HEALTH to 87000 and begin receiving text messages from the Center for Disease Control regarding emergency alerts, new research and reports, as well as health information and tips. More >

Is a Cloud Vendor a Business Associate?

Before a covered entity can use cloud storage for ePHI, the covered entity must enter into a business associate agreement (BAA) with the cloud vendor.[i]  It seems that there is some uncertainty surrounding this requirement, with some cloud vendors taking the position that a BAA is unnecessary for passive storage of ePHI or that they qualify for an exception under HITECH Act as a personal health records vendor. More >

IS HIPAA IN THE CLOUDS?

Virtual or “cloud” data storage is an increasingly popular method for storing data electronically in a safe and yet conveniently accessible manner that may also represent a cost savings over traditional onsite data storage options.  Health care providers, including hospitals, pharmacies and physicians, have been slow to avail themselves of the benefits of “cloud computing” due in part to concerns about whether the cloud offers the rigorous privacy and security safeguards required for storing electronic protected health information (ePHI) under Federal and State privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and implementing regulations. More >

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