The Department of Health and Human Services is issuing a stern warning to healthcare providers to take patient privacy issues seriously or suffer hefty fines and penalties.
The healthcare regulator issued its largest monetary penalty last month for privacy violations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act since the law’s enactment 18 years ago. With the new HIPAA compliance audit program set to launch in the coming months, more frequent enforcement actions and larger fines may become the new normal.
