Phase 2 of HIPAA Audits Begins With Preliminary Surveys

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), charged with enforcing the privacy, security and breach provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), has confirmed it has dispatched preliminary...

Anthem Data Breach Linked to Chinese Hack

The massive data breach of almost 80 million records of health care consumers insured by Anthem has been linked to the Chinese, according to a report in the Washington Post. “The malware is so unique — the digital signature is so precise — in these two incidents...

Anthem Data Breach Shows Flaw in HIPAA Privacy Standards

The theft of the personally identifiable data of 80 million policyholders of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield from the company’s database pinpoints a flaw in federal privacy standards, which do not require data encryption but merely encourage it. Under the...

HIPAA Omnibus Rule Compliance Deadline Arrives

The compliance deadline for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Omnibus Final Rule, issued in January 2013, has arrived. By tomorrow (Sept. 23, 2014), both covered entities and business associates need to be in full compliance with the...

HIPAA Audits Delayed While Web Portal Is Built

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) was set to begin HIPAA audits of covered entities and business associates next month, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is still constructing a Web portal to help in the process, thus delaying the start, according...