Topic: Providence Health & Services enters Resolution Agreement with HHS to settle potential HIPAA violations
HIM Connection, July 29, 2008
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Seattle-based Providence Health & Services entered into a Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that requires the health system to pay $100,000 and participate in a corrective action plan to ensure protection of its electronic PHI, according to a July 17 HHS press release. The agreement comes in the wake of several incidents in 2005 and 2006 during which multiple items containing unencrypted PHI of more than 386,000 patients was either lost or stolen.
Although the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and CMS have resolved more than 6,700 privacy and security rule cases, this is the first case in which HHS has required a covered entity to participate in a Resolution Agreement, according to the press release.
“We are committed to effective enforcement of health information privacy and security protections for consumers. Other covered entities that are not in compliance with the Privacy and Security Rules may face similar action,” said Winston Wilkinson, director of the OCR, in the press release.
To view the HHS press release, visit www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/07/20080717a.html.
To view the resolution agreement, visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/enforcement/resolution.html.
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