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settlement

OCR Secures $2.175 Million HIPAA Settlement After Hospitals Failed to Properly Notify HHS of a Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information — $2,175,000

Resolution Nov 2019

Penalty

$2,175,000

Action type

Settlement

Entity profile

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Case number

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What went wrong

OCR Secures $2.175 Million HIPAA Settlement After Hospitals Failed to Properly Notify HHS of a Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information - November 26, 2019

  • Navigate to: HIPAA for Professionals Regulatory Initiatives Privacy Summary of the Privacy Rule Guidance Combined Text of All Rules HIPAA Related Links Security Security Rule NPRM Summary of the Security Rule Security Guidance Cyber Security Guidance Breach Notification Breach Reporting Guidance Reports to Congress Regulation History Compliance & Enforcement Enforcement Rule Enforcement Process En

Full description

Navigate to: HIPAA for Professionals Regulatory Initiatives Privacy Summary of the Privacy Rule Guidance Combined Text of All Rules HIPAA Related Links Security Security Rule NPRM Summary of the Security Rule Security Guidance Cyber Security Guidance Breach Notification Breach Reporting Guidance Reports to Congress Regulation History Compliance & Enforcement Enforcement Rule Enforcement Process Enforcement Data Resolution Agreements Case Examples Audit Reports to Congress State Attorneys General Special Topics Parental Access Mental and Behavioral Health Change Healthcare Cybersecurity Incident FAQs HIPAA and COVID-19 HIPAA and Reproductive Health HIPAA and Final Rule Notice HIPAA and Telehealth HIPAA and FERPA Research Public Health Emergency Response Health Information Technology Health Apps Patient Safety Covered Entities & Business Associates Business Associate Contracts Business Associates Training & Resources FAQs for Professionals Other Administrative Simplification Rules Substance Use Disorder Confidentiality OCR Secures $2.175 Million HIPAA Settlement After Hospitals Failed to Properly Notify HHS of a Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information In an agreement with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Sentara Hospitals (Sentara) have agreed to take corrective actions and pay $2.175 million to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Breach Notification and Privacy Rules. Sentara is comprised of 12 acute care hospitals with more than 300 sites of care throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Read the HHS Press Release Read the Resolution Agreement People using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights at (800) 368-1019, TDD toll-free: (800) 537-7697, or by emailing OCRMail@hhs.gov. Content last reviewed November 27, 2019

Timeline

  • ResolutionNov 2019
  • Incident and investigation milestones are not consistently published by OCR in machine-readable form.

Key takeaways for your organization

  • Treat internet-facing systems and vendor-hosted environments as in-scope for HIPAA risk analysis and technical safeguards testing.
  • Maintain an actionable risk analysis tied to remediation milestones; evidence should map to Security Rule implementation specifications.
  • Align policies, procedures, and evidence with the specific CFR provisions cited in OCR resolutions affecting your entity type.
  • Run tabletop exercises for breach response, OCR inquiry handling, and privilege-preserving communications with counsel.

Related actions

OCR Resolves Twentieth Investigation in HIPAA Right of Access Initiative with $80,000 Settlement

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$80,000

Clinical Laboratory Pays $25,000 to Settle Potential HIPAA Security Rule Violations

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$25,000

HHS Office for Civil Rights Imposes a $200,000 Penalty Against Oregon Health & Science University for Failure to Provide Timely Access to Patient Records

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$200,000

Source

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services release

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. medcomply.ai aggregates public materials for educational use — not legal advice.