The Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights recorded nearly $15 million in settlement payments in the first seven months of 2016 regarding a range of compliance failures, according to a report by the National Law Review.
While there have been only a handful of cases with large settlement amounts, the $15 million total proves the agency has become more aggressive in enforcing HIPAA regulations, according to the report.
Major cases that resulted in settlements and civil monetary penalties maintained a number of similarities, including data breaches due to the theft of a laptop or company-issued cell phone containing protected health information or business partners that experienced a breach or breaches that led to the release of protected patient information.
More articles on legal and regulatory issues:
ACLU files complaint against UW med school, state of Wisconsin over researcher's gender reassignment surgery
Home health executive convicted of Medicare fraud, ordered to pay $15M
Vermont physicians resist assisted suicide mandate