Michelle Capezza and Alaap B. Shah, Members of the Firm in the Employee Benefits and Health Care & Life Sciences practices, co-authored an article in Pratt’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Report, titled “Data Breaches and HIPAA Enforcement Remain Widespread Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Following is an excerpt (see below to download the full version in PDF format):
In September 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), the agency enforcing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, obtained two large breach-related settlements: one from a HIPAA Covered Entity and one from a HIPAA Business Associate. These enforcement actions signal that despite COVID-19 related challenges, organizations continue to face rampant data breaches and ensuing HIPAA enforcement.