In a recent Advisory Opinion (No. 26-01), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded that waiving cost sharing for certain commercially insured patients who receive a cancer screening test is permissible under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The opinion pertains to a clinical laboratory test that screens for
It was brought to the attention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that healthcare providers may be violating HIPAA in certain instances where they deny parental access to a child’s medical records, or require the child to authorize the disclosure of their medical records to the parent
Ransomware cyber attacks have been a prominent threat to the healthcare industry. In this case, First Choice Dental, a large dental practice with multiple locations across Wisconsin, was targeted by hackers in October 2023. The hackers gained access to sensitive information including patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, driver’s license numbers
A company that runs five nursing homes in Delaware recently agreed to pay a $182,000 fine to settle an investigation for alleged HIPAA violations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigated the company, referred to collectively as the Cadia Healthcare Facilities, after it received a complaint that the
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a favorable Advisory Opinion for a non-profit foundation receiving donations from an affiliated company. The company in this case offers family-based therapy for children with a redacted “Disorder” (presumably autism), where the goal of the therapy sessions is to train
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced another settlement for alleged violations of HIPAA. OCR investigated BayCare Health System, which serves central Florida, after a patient complained to OCR in 2018 that her medical record was accessed by an unauthorized individual.
The patient told OCR that she
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on January 15 that Jeffrey Paul Madison, the former chief executive officer of a Texas hospital, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for conspiring to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS). In October 2024, Madison also agreed to pay over $5.3 million to settle allegations under the
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on December 3 that it imposed a $1.19 million penalty on Gulf Coast Pain Consultants, a pain management practice in Florida, following a security breach that affected over 34,000 individuals.
Gulf Coast filed a breach notification report with OCR, as required
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) imposed a $240,000 civil monetary penalty against Providence Medical Institute in connection with a ransomware attack that revealed vulnerabilities in the Institute’s systems and potential HIPAA violations.
The Institute was the victim of a series of ransomware attacks in 2018 that compromised
On October 20, 2024, several significant consumer protection laws will go into effect, directly affecting healthcare providers throughout New York State. Introduced through the FY 2025 Executive Budget, these new laws reshape how providers must handle patient consent to pay for medical services and the use of credit cards for payment.
Separate Consent for Payment