OCR reaches $1.7 million HIPAA settlement with Alaska Medicaid *

USA - July 11 2012
On June 26, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) entered into a settlement with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) for $1.7 million as well as a corrective action plan (CAP) for alleged security violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

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Small practice subject to $100,000 payment to resolve alleged HIPAA violations *

USA - April 30 2012
Phoenix Cardiac Surgery, P.C. is a professional practice owned by two physicians in Phoenix, AZ.

Co-authors: Richard J Zall, Herschel Goldfield.

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First data breach settlement under HITECH -- $1.5 million *

USA - April 27 2012
HHS reached a settlement on March 12, 2012 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (“BCBST”) for $1.5 million stemming from a 2009 data breach.

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HHS settlement for lack of HIPAA safeguards *

USA - April 24 2012
One April 17, 2012, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) reached a settlement with Phoenix Cardiac Surgery (“PSC”) for alleged violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.

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New York court finds clinic not liable for employee's disclosure of PHI *

USA - February 28 2012
A federal district court dismissed an action against an employer alleging vicarious liability for an employee’s dissemination of a patient’s protected health information related to treatment for a sexually transmitted disease.

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