HIPAA Journal

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Unauthorized individuals have gained access to the email system of the Administrative Fund of the Detectives’ Endowment Association of the Police Department of the City of New York (NYCDEA) and potentially viewed or obtained the protected health information of 21,544 individuals.

HIPAA 83

HIPAA Licensing Health Insurance Fraud 83

HIPAA Journal

JUNE 28, 2023

Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA, has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that was filed in response to a data breach that exposed the protected health information of up to 233,835 individuals. A lawsuit – Young, et al.

Hospitals 76

Hospitals Fraud Licensing HIPAA 76

HIPAA Journal

MARCH 25, 2022

Ultimate Care said no reports have been received that indicate there has been any misuse of patient information; however, as a precaution against identity theft and fraud, individuals whose Social Security numbers were impacted have been offered complimentary one-year memberships with a credit monitoring service.

Health Insurance 104

Health Insurance Licensing Ransomware Fraud 104

HIPAA Journal

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Birmingham, AL-based Henderson & Walton Women’s Center (HWWC) has recently notified 34,306 patients that some of their protected health information may have been compromised as a result of a hacker gaining access to the email account of one of its employees. The information exposed varied from patient to patient.

Licensing 96

Licensing Health Insurance Fraud HIPAA 96

HIPAA Journal

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Avem Health Partners did disclose in its website substitute breach notice when its vendor’s servers were first breached. Avem Health Partners said it is re-evaluating its vendor relationships and the security measures that its vendors have implemented. The DOL and the U.S.

Fraud 91

Fraud Licensing HIPAA Health Insurance 91

HIPAA Journal

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Azura Vascular Care, a Pennsylvania-based operator of 70 outpatient vascular centers and ambulatory surgery centers in 25 states and Puerto Rico, notified the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights last month about a cybersecurity incident involving the protected health information of 348,000 patients.

Ransomware 79

Ransomware Electronic Medical Records Licensing Health Insurance 79

Verisys

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Providers, employers, health plans, and payers use these numbers for billing purposes. CMS.gov The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the creation of a standard, unique health identifier for healthcare providers, which the NPI satisfies.

Fraud 97

Fraud HIPAA Medicare Medicare 97

HIPAA Journal

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Third-party security experts were engaged to investigate the nature and scope of the attack, with the investigation concluding on or around May 2, 2022, that files containing the protected health information of patients and employees may have been accessed and exfiltrated from its network.

Ransomware 103

Ransomware Fraud Licensing HIPAA 103

HIPAA Journal

MARCH 22, 2023

Cardiovascular Associates in Alabama is facing a class action lawsuit over a recently reported hacking incident in which patients protected health information (PHI) was stolen. The plaintiff and class members now face an increased risk of identity theft and fraud as their private information is now in the hand of cybercriminals.

HIPAA 91

HIPAA Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 91

HIPAA Journal

JULY 4, 2023

Murfreesboro Medical Clinic & SurgiCenter (MMC) in Tennessee has recently confirmed that the protected health information of more than half a million patients was compromised in what it describes as “a series of attacks on our network and IT systems,” which were discovered on or around April 24, 2023.

Medicaid 72

Medicaid Medicaid Health Insurance Licensing 72

HIPAA Journal

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

Schneck Medical Center has agreed to pay a penalty of $250,000 to resolve alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state laws and will implement additional safeguards to prevent further data breaches.

HIPAA 85

HIPAA Ransomware Health Insurance Fraud 85

HIPAA Journal

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Hackers gained access to Umass Memorial Health’s email environment between June 24, 2020 and January 7, 2021, as a result of responses to phishing emails. Claims may also be submitted for extraordinary losses up to a maximum of $5,000, which can include documented, unreimbursed losses to fraud and identity theft.

Fraud 88

Fraud Licensing Health Insurance HIPAA 88

HIPAA Journal

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

The medical device manufacturer Electromed has proposed a $850,000 settlement to resolve claims related to a June 2021 ransomware attack and data breach involving the protected health information of 47,200 individuals. A lawsuit – Lutz, et al.

Ransomware 81

Ransomware Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 81

HIPAA Journal

APRIL 15, 2022

The incident involved the exposure and potential theft of the protected health information of 318,400 patients, including names, addresses, birth dates patient account numbers, medical record numbers, health insurance information, testing, diagnostic, treatment, and claims information.

Electronic Medical Records 111

Electronic Medical Records HIPAA Health Insurance Fraud 111

HIPAA Journal

APRIL 25, 2023

NationsBenefits learned of the attack on February 7, 2023, and was informed by Fortra that the attack occurred on or around January 30, 2023. The review of the account confirmed it contained protected health information, although the press release issued did not state what types of information had been exposed.

Health Insurance 81

Health Insurance Public Health Ransomware Fraud 81

HIPAA Journal

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

The Nashville, TN-based health system, Advent Health Partners, has proposed a $500,000 settlement to resolve claims related to a September 2021 data breach involving the protected health information of 61,072 patients. Advent Health Partners detected a breach of its email environment in early September 2021.

HIPAA 90

HIPAA Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 90

HIPAA Journal

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

A New York-based physician-owned provider of administrative services to anesthesiology firms is facing several class action lawsuits over a cyberattack and data breach that has affected at least 24 entities and involved the exposure and potential theft of the protected health information of more than 450,000 patients.

HIPAA 81

HIPAA Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 81

HIPAA Journal

DECEMBER 7, 2022

The internal investigation conducted by the VA’s Data Breach Response Service concluded the information had been impermissibly disclosed and the spreadsheet was removed from SharePoint. The VA concluded that there was a low risk of misuse of that information. At the time it was unclear exactly how that information was breached.

COVID-19 Vaccine 81

COVID-19 Vaccine COVID-19 Department of Veterans Affairs Licensing 81

HIPAA Journal

JULY 27, 2023

Norton Healthcare has only disclosed limited information about the attack; however, the BlackCat ransomware group announced that it was behind the cyberattack and leaked some of the data stolen from Norton Healthcare on its data leak site.

Ransomware 52

Ransomware Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 52

HIPAA Journal

MAY 25, 2022

Social Action Community Health System (SAC Health) has recently notified 149,940 patients that documents containing their protected health information were stolen in a break-in at an off-site storage location where patient records were stored. Notification letters were sent to those individuals on May 3, 2022.

Ransomware 124

Ransomware Fraud HIPAA Licensing 124

HIPAA Journal

JULY 20, 2022

While data theft could not be determined, the affected email accounts contained the protected health information of patients of 19 of its hospitals, including names, birth dates, health insurance information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license, and healthcare data.

Fraud 108

Fraud Licensing HIPAA Health Insurance 108

HIPAA Journal

APRIL 18, 2023

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Conifer and Tenet Healthcare over a breach of the protected health information of thousands of individuals. The lawsuit names Conifer Value-Based Care, Conifer Health Solutions, Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions, and Tenet Healthcare Corporation as defendants.

HIPAA 77

HIPAA Fraud Licensing Health Insurance 77

MedTrainer

APRIL 22, 2024

Creating and using a supplier compliance checklist ensures vendors meet regulatory requirements and are trusted partners in managing sensitive information. Compliance with federal compliance guidelines is often seen as ensuring ethical behavior, protecting sensitive information, and maintaining accountability.

Compliance 52

Compliance HIPAA Licensing Fraud 52

HIPAA Journal

AUGUST 31, 2023

The investigation determined that the encrypted files included personal and protected health information related to certain individuals. It is also providing credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services for a year.

Medicare 52

Medicare Medicare HIPAA Medicaid 52

MedTrainer

JANUARY 12, 2024

The adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine , and data analytics has brought about new challenges and opportunities. Licensing and credentialing were introduced to regulate healthcare professionals and ensure minimum standards of care. Compliance in healthcare began to encompass billing, fraud, and abuse prevention.

Compliance 52

Compliance HIPAA Telemedicine ACA 52

Kaiser Health News

JANUARY 19, 2022

” The changes are part of a 400-page proposed rule governing the federal health insurance marketplace and a few states that use the federal platform for their own exchanges. The new broker provision aims to deter fraudulent sign-ups by clarifying that applicants must attest that the income projections listed are correct.

ACA 71

ACA Health Insurance Licensing Governance 71

Compliancy Group

MARCH 8, 2023

The Medicare Exclusion Database can trace its roots to 1996, when HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was signed into law. HIPAA authorized the OIG to provide guidance to the healthcare industry, to prevent fraud and abuse, and to promote high levels of ethical and lawful conduct.

Medicare 52

Medicare Medicare Fraud HIPAA 52

MedTrainer

AUGUST 31, 2023

More importantly, understanding them will help you make informed decisions and maintain the highest standards of integrity in practice. It also helps prevent fraud, abuse, and errors, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care and ethical decision-making. What Is Healthcare Compliance? What Are the Consequences of Non-Compliance?

Compliance 52

Compliance Compliance Officers HIPAA Fraud 52

HIPAA Journal

APRIL 1, 2022

Last week, SRHD confirmed that the email account contained the protected health information of 1,260 individuals. That information may have been ‘previewed’ by an unauthorized individual, although no evidence was found to suggest information had been accessed or downloaded.

Fraud 128

Fraud HIPAA Licensing Health Insurance 128

Compliancy Group

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

The widespread exploitation of this vulnerability has been well-documented, with organizations worldwide falling victim to threat actors who have gained unauthorized access to databases housing sensitive information. Although the vulnerability has since been addressed, the repercussions continue to unfold as breach notifications flood.

HIPAA 52

HIPAA Compliance Health Insurance Fraud 52

HIPAA Journal

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

The attack exposed the protected health information of 542,776 current and former Wolfe Clinic patients. Wolfe Clinic said names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, diagnostic information, and health insurance information were potentially compromised. Wolfe Clinic, P.C

Electronic Medical Records 73

Electronic Medical Records Ransomware Fraud HIPAA 73

HIPAA Journal

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

Salud Family Health said affected employees and patients have been offered free credit monitoring and identity fraud protection services, and security policies and procedures are being reviewed and will be updated to protect against future cyberattacks. New York-Presbyterian Hospital Discovers Breach Affecting up to 12,000 Patients.

Ransomware 79

Ransomware Health Insurance Hospitals Fraud 79

MedTrainer

OCTOBER 4, 2023

These regulations and laws help maintain patient confidentiality, ensure quality care, and prevent fraud and abuse within the healthcare industry. These requirements are designed to protect patient rights, privacy, and safety, as well as to prevent fraud, abuse, and other improper practices within healthcare organizations.

Compliance 52

Compliance Fraud HIPAA Governance 52

HIPAA Journal

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Birmingham, AL-based Henderson & Walton Women’s Center (HWWC) has recently notified 34,306 patients that some of their protected health information may have been compromised as a result of a hacker gaining access to the email account of one of its employees. The information exposed varied from patient to patient.

Fraud 52

Fraud Licensing HIPAA Health Insurance 52

MedTrainer

JANUARY 26, 2024

Here are some common non-compliance activities: Failure to Maintain HIPAA Compliance: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets strict guidelines for safeguarding patient health information. This ensures that staff members are well-informed and equipped to avoid compliance pitfalls.

Compliance 52

Compliance Informed Consent HIPAA Medical Billing 52

HIPAA Journal

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

The Wisconsin-based dermatology practice, Forefront Dermatology, has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of patients whose protected health information (PHI) was compromised in a ransomware attack in late May 2021. Forefront Dermatology has affiliated practices in 21 states and Washington D.C.

Ransomware 62

Ransomware Fraud HIPAA Licensing 62

Compliancy Group

MARCH 25, 2024

A comprehensive due diligence checklist will cover areas such as licensing requirements, contractual agreements, fraud prevention measures, and risk management protocols. Financial Compliance: Safeguarding Resources Financial stability is vital for sustaining high-quality healthcare services.

Due Diligence 52

Due Diligence Compliance Informed Consent Fraud 52