Stiff Price to Pay for Snooping
June 30, 2023
On June 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $240,000 settlement with a hospital based upon the OCR’s findings that hospital security guards used their official log-in credentials to access and “snoop” into medical records of 419 patients who visited the hospital’s emergency department without a job-related purpose. In addition to the settlement payment, the resolution agreement entered into between the hospital and the OCR required the organization to implement a corrective action plan to bring the organization into HIPAA compliance and two years of OCR monitoring.
The settlement should serve as a reminder to health care providers of the need to have in place a robust and active HIPAA compliance program that includes routine monitoring of employee activity in electronic medical record systems and employee discipline for non-compliance.
Click Here to read the entire June 2023 Healthcare Law Update now!
If you need assistance with your HIPAA compliance program, an OCR investigation, or a data breach incident, please contact:
Lani M. Dornfeld, CHPC | 973.403.3136 | ldornfeld@bracheichler.com
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