Consumers often seek online reviews of a business on platforms such as Yelp, CitySearch, Yahoo and Google Plus Pages before purchasing products or services. This includes patients seeking online reviews of a physician or other licensed professional before seeking treatment. Unfortunately, a practice known as “Astroturfing” has developed where businesses attempt to create an impression
OCR’s First Settlement with a Business Associate for HIPAA Violations
Catholic Health Care Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) is the first business associate to be held directly liable for violations under the HIPAA rules. CHCS provided management and information technology services to six nursing homes. According to the OCR Resolution Agreement, OCR received separate notifications from each of the six nursing homes
Consequences for Failure to Have a Required Business Associate Agreement
The Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”), enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). This includes the requirement that Covered Entities (health care providers and health plans) have Business Associate Agreements with their “Business Associates.”
“Business Associates” are persons or entities who “create, receive, maintain or
Who is a “Qualified Person” for Purposes of Access to a Patient’s Medical Records
In our previous post [found here], we explained that, under the Privacy Rule, HIPAA covered entities (health care providers and health plans) must provide individuals and their “personal representatives” with access to the individual’s protected health information. An individual’s personal representative is determined under State law. In this post, we will define
The Individual’s Rights Under HIPAA to Access their Health Information- Verifying the Identity of the Person Requesting PHI
Under the Privacy Rule, HIPAA covered entities (health care providers and health plans) are required to provide individuals, upon request, with access to their protected health information (PHI) in one or more “designated record sets” maintained by or for the covered entity.
Covered entities are also required to protect the individual’s PHI from unauthorized disclosure.
Second Circuit Rejects Constitutional Challenge To New York School Vaccination Requirement
The Second Circuit yesterday rejected a Constitutional challenge to New York’s requirement that children be vaccinated to attend public school, and upheld a school’s decision to exclude from class, during a chicken pox outbreak, students with a religious exemption to the vaccination requirement.
In Phillips v. City of New York, two Catholic parents received
HHS-OIG 2014 Work Plan Focuses On Health Insurance Transitions
At the end of January, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS-OIG”) released its 2014 Work Plan. The Work Plan summarizes new and ongoing reviews and activities that HHS-OIG plans to pursue with respect to HHS programs and operations in the coming year. Senior HHS-OIG officials outlined
The New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013 – What NFPs Need to Know
Farrell Fritz partner Lou Vlahos recently issued an important advisory report addressing the New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013 (the “Act”). Nonprofit corporations in New York will need to comply with many of the Act’s provisions by July 1, 2014.
Major new requirements include:
-the adoption of conflict of interest and whistleblower policies;
-creation
OMIG May Exclude Physician from Medicaid Even When BPMC Allows Continued Practice
In Matter of Koch v. Sheehan, the New York Court of Appeals held that the Office of Medicaid Inspector General (“OMIG”) may remove a physician from the Medicaid program based solely on a consent order between the physician and the Bureau of Professional Medical Conduct (“BPMC”), even if BPMC does not suspend the physician’s
NYS DOH Recommends Regulations for Retail and Urgent Care Clinics
Alternatives to the hospital emergency room and primary care doctor’s office are opening in strip malls and other retail locations throughout the country. New York State is no exception. In an effort to provide oversight for these walk-in clinics, New York’s Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) has recommended regulations for these facilities.