HIPAA

HIPAA for Chiropractors
Abyde News, Best Practices, HIPAA

HIPAA for Chiropractors: What You Need to Know

July 3, 2025 No comments yet

July 3, 2025 In chiropractic healthcare, staying aligned with regulations is key.  While some might consider Chiropractic medicine an alternative healthcare option, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) covers the field. That means your practice must secure all patient data transmitted to and from a chiropractic office.  Protected Health Information (PHI) encompasses all personally identifiable data, such as names, birth dates, and treatment details, and must be securely maintained. For chiropractic offices, this commonly includes comprehensive treatment plans and spinal X-rays. For chiropractic offices, no matter the size, HIPAA for chiropractors isn’t just a recommendation—it’s required whenever patient data is involved. What does this mean for your chiropractic practice? With the right barriers, you can continue to adjust patients while ensuring the safety of Protected Health Information (PHI), promoting patient trust and transparency in protecting their data.    What’s Required for HIPAA for Chiropractors?  While solely a yearly training might be what your practice expects, HIPAA for chiropractors requires a much more comprehensive approach.  HIPAA has three pillars: the Security Rule, the Privacy Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule.  The Security Rule is focused on the administrative, technical, and physical safeguards your practice must have to secure patient data.  Under this rule, your practice must complete a Security Risk Analysis (SRA) annually. The SRA is an extensive review of your current practices in your chiropractic office. Everything must be documented, from how your practice checks in patients to how your staff electronically sends patient data. By reviewing this every year, your practice can identify vulnerabilities before they become compliance issues.  While this annual review might seem simple, unfortunately, it is a frequent pitfall for practices. When randomly audited, only 14% of healthcare practices could produce a compliant SRA.  A missing SRA is one of the most common reasons for HIPAA fines, with over $150 million levied to healthcare practices across America.  Your chiropractic practice must ensure that the proper safeguards are in place and that PHI is shared carefully. That’s where the Privacy Rule comes into play.  According to the Privacy Rule, health information should be shared as little as possible and only when absolutely necessary. For instance, while you may want to share patient stories, all health information must stay confidential. This rule also mandates that patients provide their health records to those who request them within 30 days of the initial request. This rule requires thorough training with staff, making sure all are aware of the responsibility they must uphold when handling patient data.  Lastly, the Breach Notification Rule establishes a required course of action after a breach. Even with the proper safeguards and minimum health information shared, breaches can happen.  If patient data is breached, chiropractors must notify impacted patients within 60 days of discovery, regardless of the size of the breach. Depending on the number of patients impacted, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) must also be notified. Did you accidentally print out and provide someone else’s information to a patient? This must be reported to the OCR by 60 days after the end of the calendar year. A major ransomware attack exposed the information of over 500 patients? The OCR must be informed within 60 days. This also depends on what state your chiropractic office is in, so make sure to check state law and see if your state attorney general must also be notified.    Adjusting Your Compliance Program While this might feel overwhelming for your chiropractic office to handle, your organization can easily achieve compliance with the right compliance solutions.  Due to HIPAA’s complexity, smart software solutions can walk your chiropractic practice through every step of the process. Software can easily streamline annual requirements, like the SRA, asking intuitive questions to identify compliance gaps proactively. Other requirements, like training, policies, and procedures, can also be found in a centralized hub. By simplifying compliance, your chiropractic office can commit to what it does best: adjusting patients to improve their well-being and quality of life. Meet with a compliance expert today to learn more about HIPAA for chiropractors. 

Common Dermatology HIPAA Fines
Abyde News, Best Practices, HIPAA

Protecting Every Layer: HIPAA Essentials for Your Dermatology Practice

July 1, 2025 No comments yet

July 1, 2025   HIPAA violations are not skin-deep.  Dermatology practices, like all healthcare practices, are subject to HIPAA legislation. Common HIPAA violations erode reputation and patient trust, potentially costing your practice significant legal fees and fines.  Dermatology practices have unique data, like photos of skin ailments and reports of skin biopsies, which must be securely handled.  Sharing a picture of an abnormal mole without proper documentation, even if it looks harmless, is a HIPAA violation. Why? This is because the image includes identifiable health information about your patient.  The good news? Frequent HIPAA pitfalls can easily be prevented with the proper safeguards and education. Being aware and implementing the right proactive safeguards secures your practice.    Social Media 101  Before-and-after patient photos can be a powerful marketing tool on social media, but mishandling them could attract unwanted attention from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).  It’s totally normal to be proud of the great results you achieve for your patients. However, if you plan to share how your treatment helped a patient publicly, you must have that patient sign a media consent form. This form explicitly grants permission to share their healthcare procedures or results online. Beyond that, your practice must have a well-defined multimedia policy outlining how social media is handled. This ensures your entire staff is equipped and aware of their responsibilities regarding sharing information online, keeping everyone compliant, and protecting patient privacy. It’s also important to regulate your dermatology staff’s communication with patients on social media. While a patient may leave a positive review about how a chemical peel treatment made them look younger, you cannot confirm or deny whether that patient visited your practice. If you want to use a favorable review in your social media marketing, make sure the patient has signed the media consent form. Even a negative review can lead to a HIPAA violation if you’re not careful. While it’s tempting to defend your practice publicly, the cost of a violation far exceeds the initial frustration. For instance, one practice faced a $10,000 fine for disclosing Protected Health Information (PHI) on Yelp. The right move would have been to move the conversation offline and communicate with the patient privately through a secure channel.   Staying Ahead: Security Risk Analysis One of the most common fines is missing a vital piece of proactive compliance. The Security Risk Analysis (SRA) is a thorough assessment of all the safeguards your practice has in place to secure PHI. The minimum annual SRA must be completed before and after a HIPAA breach, showcasing your practice is aware of vulnerabilities and documenting how they are addressed.  This isn’t an isolated issue; it’s a widespread compliance gap, with only 14% of healthcare practices able to produce a compliant SRA during random audits. The recent case of a dermatology organization that faced an investigation after a substantial ransomware breach. The incomplete SRA discovered during the investigation led to a hefty $250,000 fine for the practice. It’s a common misconception that fines are solely a consequence of ransomware attacks. However, the true underlying reason for a fine is the failure to implement appropriate preventative safeguards. While ransomware attacks and cybercrimes can certainly occur despite even the most robust safeguards, a practice’s preventative and reactive response and ability to mitigate risk swiftly determine whether a fine is levied.   Improper Paper Trails The entire lifecycle of PHI, from generation to deletion, needs to be handled securely. This includes properly shredding and disposing of records. Any image of a patient’s skin, old samples, etc., must be disposed of securely. First, records need to be kept for at least six years, but once disposed of, they cannot be traced to patients and must be destroyed entirely. Simply putting records in the trash isn’t going to cut it. In fact, Business Associates can handle data destruction for your practice.  A dermatology practice was fined for improper disposal. Empty specimen containers, with PHI on the label, such as patient names, dates of birth, and more, were thrown in unsecured trash. After discovering that this disposal was typical for the dermatology organization for years, the practice was fined over $300,000.    How to Avoid Common Dermatology HIPAA Violations The right HIPAA compliance program can avoid these common missteps. Proactive compliance, including thorough training and a maintained SRA, is key to the success of your dermatology practice.  While handling your practice’s compliance program might feel overwhelming, compliance solutions can streamline this process.  Intelligent software can easily pinpoint and address common violations in a centralized compliance hub. By maintaining control and proactively addressing compliance gaps, your practice can achieve peace of mind. Meet with a compliance expert today to learn more about simplifying HIPAA compliance for your dermatology practice. 

Mid-Year Healthcare Compliance 2025
Abyde News, Best Practices, HIPAA, OSHA

Mid-Year Check-Up: Are You Up-to-Date on Healthcare Compliance?

June 26, 2025 No comments yet

June 26, 2025   Healthcare compliance is an ever-evolving landscape, with new initiatives and updates announced to better protect patients and staff. As the year progresses to its midpoint, it’s crucial to seize this opportunity to stay informed on the latest developments in the field.  HIPAA and OSHA both have new significant updates that will directly impact practices.    New HIPAA Security Rule Legislation In December 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule.  One of the pillars of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, the Security Rule focuses on the safeguards that must be deployed to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) secure.  In response to the rise of large breach ransomware attacks, which have nearly tripled in the last several years, the OCR is increasing cybersecurity requirements when handling patient PHI.  For instance, under this new legislation, some new requirements include an asset log, network segmentation, and multi-factor authentication. These requirements are all heightened precautions when protecting patient data.  Under this new legislation, the vendors your practice works with will also experience increased scrutiny. For example, under this proposed rule, Business Associates (BAs) now must have their compliance practices verified by a cybersecurity expert annually. BAs must also alert Covered Entities within 24 hours after a breach with a contingency plan.  These soon-to-be added responsibilities demonstrate the vital role BAs play in protecting patients. The comment period for these updates wrapped up in March, and the OCR is reviewing all 4,000 comments before a final rule is announced.    Workplace Violence Prevention Legislation  When healthcare workers are five times as likely to experience workplace violence, federal legislation is soon to follow.  While Workplace Violence Prevention currently falls under the General Duty Clause of OSHA, or the basic requirement of providing a safe workplace for employees, state-level legislation focused on this continues to go into effect. State legislation regarding this vastly differs. Nearly every state has heightened charges for attacking a healthcare worker, being classified as a felony rather than a misdemeanor. Still, now many are requiring specialized training and reporting requirements specifically addressing violence in healthcare workplaces. For example, California, Texas, and Virginia all have comprehensive healthcare workplace violence plans. California even requires near misses and threats to be logged for the state.  While federal legislation has not been released yet, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will likely be announced this year.    HIPAA Audit Program & Risk Analysis Initiative The OCR has reintroduced the HIPAA Audit Program, randomly selecting HIPAA-regulated entities and reviewing their current HIPAA programs. The last time this program was in effect was in 2017.  The last round of audits found that 86% of Covered Entities could not produce a compliant Security Risk Analysis (SRA) when prompted by the OCR. The SRA is a thorough assessment of the safeguards and routines currently in place to secure PHI.  Practices frequently overlook the Security Risk Analysis (SRA), yet it’s a primary defense, proactively addressing concerns. In fact, the OCR’s October 2024 Risk Analysis Initiative specifically targets practices that fail to complete an SRA, and this initiative has already resulted in nearly a million dollars in fines.   Right of Access Fines Improper patient records release continue to be a common pitfall for practices. Records must be provided to patients within 30 days of a request. With over 50 enforcements of the Right of Access Initiative, millions of dollars have been paid by practices.   This easily preventable fine highlights the significant impact of patient complaints (the leading cause for investigations) and the OCR’s diligence in addressing Right of Access violations.   Getting Prepared for the Rest of the Year While it feels like new initiatives are frequently being announced by the OCR, it is your practice’s responsibility to implement new updates. With the right HIPAA compliance program, smart software can ensure your practice will always be prepared, with new legislation instantly updating in the software.  To learn more about what’s next in HIPAA, watch our latest webinar regarding current events in HIPAA here.

HIPAA for Dermatology
Abyde News, HIPAA

Dermatology’s Hidden Layer: Unpacking HIPAA Compliance

June 5, 2025 No comments yet

June 5, 2025   When ensuring your patients have clear, healthy skin, you might not realize the thorough administrative requirements your practice needs to follow.  HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, must be upheld by all Healthcare providers and their Business Associates (BAs) who handle and transmit Protected Health Information (PHI). PHI is sensitive information about a patient, such as their Social Security Number, birthdate, medical records, and more. If PHI ends up in the wrong hands, the information could easily be misused, making healthcare a prime target for hackers.  For dermatologists, every piece of information related to a patient’s skin condition – from their name and date of birth to their diagnosis, treatment plan, and even before-and-after photos – falls under HIPAA’s umbrella. Following HIPAA laws doesn’t just protect your practice from fines – it also keeps your patients safe and builds trust.  What is Required for Dermatologists? There’s a lot more required than just yearly training.  Dermatologists must follow the three HIPAA rules: the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule to be HIPAA compliant.  The Privacy Rule dictates how PHI can be shared, specifically the minimum amount of information necessary to handle transactions. Information should only be shared with staff who actually need access to it. Staff access to PHI must be monitored and removed when staff leave the practice. The Privacy Rule also details patients’ Right of Access, requiring practices to provide health records to a patient within 30 days.  The Security Rule focuses on the technical, physical, and administrative safeguards that must be in place in your dermatology practice and includes the required Security Risk Analysis (SRA).  The SRA is an extensive annual review of your practice’s protective barriers in case a situation were to occur. SRA questions include information about physical alarms and locks your practice might have, and how email is handled in your practice. By addressing any vulnerabilities before a breach occurs, your practice can more easily mitigate risk.  Leaving this document incomplete can have severe consequences. For instance, a dermatology organization without a compliant SRA was fined $250,000 following a breach. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces HIPAA, also enacted the Risk Analysis Initiative. This new initiative focuses on and fines practices missing an SRA after being alerted of a breach.  In addition to the SRA, dermatologists must complete Disaster Recovery Plans for their practices. The Disaster Recovery Plan builds a contingency plan in case a natural or man-made disaster, such as flooding or a cyber-attack, occurs.  These documents lead to the policies and procedures your practice must have that are easily accessible to staff. With policies and procedures, everyone in your practice will know what is expected and unacceptable in your organization, mitigating risk and providing a guide for every situation. In addition to this, training is also required under the rule for all new employees and yearly.  Expect an update to the Security Rule soon, and you can find the new details here.  The last rule of HIPAA is the Breach Notification Rule. This rule is observed after a breach, ensuring that all involved parties are properly informed following a breach of PHI.  After a breach of any size, affected individuals must be notified within 60 days of the breach’s discovery. If it is a small breach, the OCR must also be informed by the end of the year.  However, the breach is considered large if more than 500 patients are affected. For large breaches, while patients must be notified within 60 days, the OCR also does. The media must also be notified, with a press release going out. Depending on the state, the Attorney General must be made aware of this, too, so it is vital to review state law as well when facing a breach.  Streamlining Compliance in Your Dermatology Practice Given the ever-changing nature of the HIPAA landscape, the brief overview of requirements provided here is just a starting point. While it might feel overwhelming, it’s critical to maintain a compliant dermatology practice.  There are options to simplify HIPAA compliance. Smart software can efficiently assist in compliance management. The pillars of HIPAA compliance, such as the SRA, Disaster Recovery Plan, training, documentation, and more, can all be resolved with the right software platform. By using a smart solution, you can proactively pinpoint gaps and stay on top of your compliance management, freeing you up to focus on caring for patients’ skin.  To see how your dermatology practice can streamline HIPAA for your practice, meet with a compliance expert today.

Abyde News, HIPAA

Introducing SRA Contributor: Master Your HIPAA Risk Analysis

June 3, 2025 No comments yet

June 3, 2025 Have you ever been stumped by a HIPAA Security Risk Analysis (SRA) question because you didn’t know the answer? Even the most seasoned HIPAA Compliance Officers encounter administrative and technical security questions outside their area of expertise, and that’s completely normal. Remember, you’re not expected to have all the answers. So, how are you supposed to get the right answers for the questions you don’t know from those who do? Abyde’s latest update, SRA Contributor, helps you get the necessary answers. This feature allows you to send questions internally to other Abyde users (at your practice) or externally to trusted contacts of your Business Associates (BAs), allowing you to complete your SRA confidently.  The Users section has now been updated to include both Users and Contributors. Once in this section, click the SRA Contributor tab to add external individuals, such as your IT partner, who can assist in answering SRA questions.   Then, complete the SRA. We encourage users to mark uncertain questions with ‘Don’t Know’. Once the SRA is complete, Abyde users can access the SRA Contributor feature from their Scorecard module and securely send any questions as needed. Hit the Abyde Flag icon to the right of any question on your Scorecard to activate the SRA Contributor pop-up and select your Contributors. As a reminder, you can add a note to any question for your Contributors.   Once flagged, the question(s) are batched and ready to be sent. Abyde recommends reviewing any and all questions for Contributors and sending them in one batch to reduce the number of emails. After all questions are flagged, send them together by hitting the send icon on the Contributor line below the question or from the global SEND button at the top of the Scorecard module.  Once sent, your SRA Contributors (and other Abyde users) will receive an email to the secure SRA Contributor Portal. The Contributor Portal includes all flagged questions. Your Contributors can answer your questions, add notes, and send their responses to you once they complete the portal.  From there, you will receive an email notification that your question has been answered and is ready for review. Then, you can either reject or approve an SRA Contributor’s answers. If approved, their answer and note (if present) replace your initial response on the SRA. If rejected, you can send the question again to other contributors or manually change the answer yourself. SRA Contributors’ answers and Contributor Portal links (if they never answered the question) can also be deleted from the Scorecard by clicking the Trash Can icon.  Why This Matters A thorough and accurate Security Risk Analysis (SRA) is paramount for safeguarding patient data and ensuring compliance. It is the foundation of a compliant practice.  The SRA Contributor enables you to complete the SRA more efficiently and confidently, enhancing collaboration with your business associates and other Contributors who manage the more technical aspects of your practice.  This ensures that the required SRA is completed accurately and thoroughly, giving you confidence in the integrity and completeness of your answers.  To learn more, contact our support team at support@abyde.com, or call 1.877.816.1620. 

Business Associate Ransomware Fine
Abyde News, Fines, HIPAA

Ransomware Reality Check: Business Associate Pays Big HIPAA Fine

June 2, 2025 No comments yet

6/2/2025   Did you know Business Associates (BAs) are at risk for ransomware attacks just as much as Covered Entities?  Ransomware attacks disproportionately affect healthcare organizations, with malicious actors looking to exploit Protected Health Information (PHI). When PHI includes sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and more, it provides someone with a lot of information to use for the wrong reasons.  A medical billing BA in Massachusetts, Comstar, LLC, recently experienced the fallout of a ransomware attack. Trusted with the PHI of over 70 practices, the organization did not have the proper safeguards to mitigate risk after a cybercrime. Part of this was a missing Security Risk Analysis (SRA), or a thorough assessment of an organization’s potential vulnerabilities.   This latest enforcement represents the responsibility of BAs to uphold their commitments and for all HIPAA-regulated entities to complete and maintain an SRA.    What Happened? In May 2022, a malicious actor intruded Comstar’s network servers. Comstar was unaware of this intrusion for several days. In the meantime, the hacker encrypted nearly 600,000 patient records with ransomware. Even though these patients weren’t directly Comstar’s, they assumed the responsibility of protecting their data.  While it is not public what steps Comstar took to mitigate risks after the initial ransomware breach, it was discovered that the organization did not complete an SRA. This assessment is at the foundation of a compliant practice and is a requirement of HIPAA.  After this discovery, the organization was fined $75,000 and put under a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), or government monitoring, for two years.  This assessment is at the foundation of a compliant practice and is a requirement of HIPAA.  Recently, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has sharpened its focus on this commonly missed requirement with the latest Risk Analysis Initiative. This fine is the 9th enforcement of this initiative.    Streamlining the SRA with Software When less than 20% of BAs could showcase a compliant SRA when being audited, completing the SRA is unfortunately a common oversight by regulated entities. Additionally, this is a responsibility of both Covered Entities and BAs, and both parties must carefully handle PHI.  With smart software, BAs can easily streamline the SRA and complete the assessment that pinpoints common vulnerabilities organizations face. By simplifying the SRA, intelligent solutions can empower an organization to cultivate a culture of compliance for its staff, securely meet requirements, and handle PHI.  To learn more about how your organization can easily complete the SRA, meet with a compliance expert today. 

BayCare HIPAA Fine
Abyde News, Fines, HIPAA

BayCare’s $800k HIPAA Violation: The Consequences of Unmonitored Staff Access

May 29, 2025 No comments yet

May 29, 2025   A successful practice is built upon a strong foundation of well-trained and aware staff.  Protecting patient data is a critical responsibility for healthcare staff. Data breaches involving Protected Health Information (PHI) can occur in many ways, but the foundation of security lies in a workforce committed to safeguarding it. A Florida healthcare provider, BayCare Health System, experienced the consequences of improper disclosure of PHI due to a complaint and a noncompliant staff member in the latest HIPAA fine.  Acting Director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Anthony Archeval commented on the importance of managing staff access, saying, “allowing unrestricted access to patient health information can create an attractive target for a malicious insider.”   What Happened? In 2018, an unnamed complainant visited St. Joseph’s Hospital, a facility under the BayCare Health System, for an appointment. After treatment, she received communication from an unknown contact who sent the complainant photos of her medical records and a video of a BayCare associate scrolling through her file as well.  This communication led to a complaint filed with the OCR. Several years of legal interactions and investigations by the OCR resulted in an $800,000 settlement six years later.  After the investigation, it was found that BayCare failed to have procedures and policies for handling ePHI, failed to reduce risks, and did not review staff access.  This nearly million-dollar fine resulted from a malicious insider, insufficient documentation, and an oversight of staff privileges.  Reviewing staff access is vital for protecting patient data. By monitoring staff activity, you can ensure that PHI does not end up in the wrong hands. Additionally, when providing staff with access to PHI, confirm that access is necessary to complete essential job tasks. This falls under the Minimum Necessary Standard within the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which enforces that disclosed PHI is only shared for an authorized and required purpose.  Staff must be thoroughly trained in their responsibilities before accessing PHI, and policies and procedures regarding handling PHI must be readily available for staff to review.  While this situation did not lead to jail time, it is not unheard of in the medical field, so staff must also be aware of the consequences.    Training and Monitoring Staff with Abyde Smart compliance solutions streamline training, policies and procedures, and monitoring access, creating a culture of compliance that protects your organization from malicious insiders. With an intelligent platform managing compliance, you can dynamically generate unique policies and procedures in seconds, automating this task without human error.  Additionally, a centralized compliance hub allows staff to review documentation before working with patients and refer to it if there is any confusion. Access logs can also be found in this hub, which keeps staff accountable when they review patient PHI.  With intelligent solutions, proactive compliance is made easy, encouraging staff to take their HIPAA responsibilities seriously. Speak with a compliance expert today to learn more about how compliance can be simplified for your practice. 

Small Healthcare Practice HIPAA Fine
Abyde News, Fines, HIPAA

Small Size, Same Rules: HIPAA Fine Serves as Reminder for All Healthcare Providers

May 19, 2025 No comments yet

May 19, 2025   HIPAA compliance is not just a recommendation; it’s a requirement, no matter how small your organization is. The latest HIPAA fine is a testament to this, with Vision Upright MRI the latest practice to be penalized.  The small California MRI center experienced a significant breach, which exposed several violations in the fallout. Acting Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Anthony Archeval emphasized the widespread cybersecurity risks, noting that these threats impact healthcare providers of all sizes:  “Cybersecurity threats affect large and small covered healthcare providers.”  Vision Upright MRI was fined $5,000 and will now face a two-year Corrective Action Plan (CAP), being monitored by the OCR.  This fine showcases that no practice, big or small, must be followed to keep patient data safe.     What Happened? At the end of 2020, Vision Upright MRI experienced a breach in its systems due to an insecure server. This cybercrime exposed over 21,000 patients’ medical images, leading to the OCR’s investigation.  The investigation discovered that the MRI center had never completed a Security Risk Analysis (SRA). The SRA thoroughly examines a practice, reviewing all current safeguards to secure Protected Health Information (PHI). These safeguards can include physical barriers the practice has implemented, like locked doors and alarms, and the administrative techniques the practice follows, like routinely checking access to sensitive patient data.  The SRA is critical for a compliant practice and should be completed annually and after any breaches.  While the SRA is a fundamental requirement for a practice, it is unfortunately often overlooked. The OCR has implemented a Risk Analysis Initiative to ensure practices are completing this requirement, and has reinstated the audit program, reviewing if regulated entities are maintaining this document.  In addition to missing the SRA, Vision Upright MRI did not properly notify affected parties within 60 days, violating the Breach Notification Rule.  The Breach Notification Rule requires practices to notify patients within 60 days of discovering a breach, regardless of how many were impacted. This short timeline allows patients to take the necessary precautions for the safety of their data. The practice should also provide credit monitoring. Since this event impacted well over 500 patients, the threshold to consider the situation a large breach, Vision Upright MRI also needed to notify the media and the OCR within a 60-day timeline. Communicating this is imperative, allowing the OCR to swiftly begin its investigation and potentially affected patients to receive information through media channels. These serious missteps led to the monetary settlement and years of government monitoring.    Streamlining HIPAA Compliance Even a small practice doesn’t require overwhelming resources to be HIPAA compliant. The right compliance program can simplify HIPAA compliance. With smart solutions, the SRA can be completed easily, reviewing questions and potential vulnerabilities the practice faces. Additionally, breaches can be reported in intelligent software, with compliance experts assisting practices through alerting patients and the OCR.  Meet with an expert today to learn how to automate your compliance program.   

PIH HIPAA Phishing Fine
Abyde News, Fines, HIPAA

Phishing Risks and Notification Delays: A Lesson in Managing a HIPAA Breach

April 24, 2025 No comments yet

4.24.25 As we head into the middle of the year, it’s safe to say that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is ramping up enforcement. Since the beginning of this year, over $6M in fines have been levied, with new penalties being announced weekly.  The latest fine showcases that the OCR can and will investigate breaches no matter your organization’s size. The latest HIPAA fine was imposed on PIH Health, Inc. (PIH), a California health network comprised of over a hundred health practices throughout the state.  PIH’s HIPAA violations have cost the organization $600,000. Due to these violations, the organization will be monitored for two years under a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). These violations exposed numerous shortcomings of the organization due to a phishing attack, emphasizing the importance of thorough safeguards for practices of all sizes.  What Happened?  In June 2019, a phishing attack compromised 45 PIH employee accounts. This breach devastated an organization with millions of patients, putting nearly 200,000 patients at risk.  While the phishing attempt occurred in the summer of 2019, the breach was not reported to affected patients or the OCR until January 2020.  When a breach impacts over 500 patients, time is of the essence. Parties must be notified within 60 days of the breach, including widespread press releases for the media.  More issues were brought to light once the OCR was aware of this breach. The organization lacked a sufficient Security Risk Analysis (SRA). The SRA is an exhaustive assessment of a practice, reviewing all safeguards and highlighting any vulnerabilities before a breach occurs.  This is at the base of a compliant practice, and the OCR has introduced the Risk Analysis Initiative to ensure that practices have this documentation in place.  Overall, this successful phishing attempt revealed inadequacies and several HIPAA violations. In addition, the organization’s failure to notify the OCR and patients promptly also contributed to the severity of the fine. Protecting Patient Data The healthcare industry’s sensitive data makes it the prime target for phishing attacks. Healthcare organizations must provide comprehensive staff training to avoid suspicious emails and, in general, risk mitigation techniques.  Healthcare practices must always address the breaches quickly. Timely notification of the OCR and affected patients ensures that all parties are aware of the breach’s impact and understand how to monitor their data. No matter the organization’s size, using smart software can help simplify compliance, avoid significant fines, and reduce patient data risk. For example, the SRA can be streamlined with compliance software, ensuring your practice knows the appropriate safeguards before an incident occurs. Intelligent solutions also provide your practice with a centralized compliance hub, letting staff know precisely what they need to secure patient Protected Health Information (PHI).  To learn more about how your practice can streamline common HIPAA violations, schedule a meeting with a compliance expert today.

Risk Analysis Initiative HIPAA Fine
Abyde News, Fines, HIPAA

Don’t Be Next: HIPAA Fine Shows Risk of Ignoring Security Risk Analysis

April 17, 2025 No comments yet

April 17, 2025 Let’s make this clear: The Security Risk Analysis (SRA) is at the foundation of a compliant practice. The SRA is the proactive assessment of your practices’ physical, technical, and administrative safeguards. Physical safeguards include alarms, codes, and other procedures or devices your practice might deploy. Technical safeguards involve cybersecurity protocols, like firewalls, antivirus software, encryption, and other security measures. Lastly, the administrative safeguards are your practice’s actions, such as using visitor IDs, maintaining a sign-in sheet, or even posting about patients on social media. The latest HIPAA fine is another reminder of the importance of the SRA in protecting patient data. This is the sixth Risk Analysis Initiative enforcement since the end of last year. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is serious about ensuring that practices know this requirement. This focus has remained consistent even during administration transitions. Said best by OCR Acting Director Anthony Archeval, “A failure to conduct a risk analysis often foreshadows a future HIPAA breach.”   What Happened?  Northeast Radiology, P.C. (NERAD), a healthcare provider specializing in medical imaging clinical services in New York and Connecticut, experienced a significant breach that exposed nearly 300,000 patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). The breach, which occurred from April 2019 to January 2020, was caused by unauthorized individuals accessing radiology images of patients due to a compromised server. When the OCR began investigating the practice in March 2020, it was discovered that NERAD did not have an SRA. Due to the absence of this document and the sheer size of the breach, the organization was fined $350,000 and will undergo a two-year Corrective Action Plan (CAP).   Completing an SRA NERAD’s HIPAA settlement with the OCR is a clear reminder that your practice needs to complete an SRA long before a breach occurs. While an SRA might seem daunting, addressing problems before patients’ information is at risk is much easier. Completing this risk assessment can help your practice identify vulnerabilities before they escalate into compliance issues. While the SRA mandates practices to analyze and review existing procedures thoroughly, this process doesn’t need to be overwhelming or costly. With smart solutions, your practice can answer simple questions about your practice while the software intuitively builds out an SRA report, analyzes the current situation, and provides recommendations to mitigate potential risks. To learn more about how your practice can streamline the SRA, schedule a consultation with an expert today.

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