Tag Archives: OIG

HHS OIG Launches Cybersecurity Webpage to Raise Awareness and Boost Cybersecurity Best Practices

Photo of Lynn SessionsPhoto of BakerHostetlerBy Lynn Sessions and BakerHostetler on Posted in Cybersecurity, HHS
Healthcare data can be up to 10 times more valuable to cyber criminals than credit card numbers, according to a report from the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). And, with healthcare-focused ransomware attacks like WannaCry and NotPetya in the news more frequently, it’s no wonder that HHS OIG … Continue Reading

OIG Emphasizes Proactive Enforcement of Privacy Rule and Monitoring of Repeat Offenders

Photo of Lynn SessionsBy Lynn Sessions and Suchismita Pahi on Posted in HIPAA/HITECH
The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) recently released Privacy Standards report assessed the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) oversight of covered entities’ compliance with the Privacy Rule as well as the extent to which Medicare Part B providers are aware of HIPAA privacy standards. To that end, the OIG found that Part B providers fell … Continue Reading

CMS’s Privacy Problem: Data Breaches, Medicare Numbers, and Inaction

Photo of Lynn SessionsBy Lynn Sessions on Posted in HIPAA/HITECH, Medical Privacy
Co-authored by: Cory Fox The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) recently published a report, CMS Response to Breaches and Medical Identity Theft (“Report”), which referenced 14 breaches of medical information by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), including Medicare numbers, affecting nearly 14,000 beneficiaries in the past … Continue Reading

OIG Advisory Opinion Approves Referral Payments Under Electronic Health Record (EHR) System

Photo of John MulhollanBy John Mulhollan on Posted in HIPAA/HITECH, Medical Privacy
In a significant development impacting the wider electronic health record (EHR) community, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) on December 7 issued an Advisory Opinion (AO 11-18) approving an EHR vendor’s proposed transaction fee structure for charging customers that use the vendor’s new patient referral ordering system. Although the Advisory Opinion applies only to … Continue Reading

HHS Inspector General Reports Highlight IT Security Gaps in Health Care

Photo of John MulhollanBy John Mulhollan on Posted in HIPAA/HITECH, Medical Privacy
On May 16, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two reports critical of the government’s efforts to build and enforce a federal information security framework for protecting individuals’ electronic protected health information (ePHI).  Of particular interest to health care providers and health plans, these reports … Continue Reading
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