Lafourche Medical Group to pay $480K in landmark HHS phishing action
By 
Kyle Brasseur2023-12-08T16:48:00
Louisiana-based Lafourche Medical Group agreed to pay $480,000 as part of the first phishing attack-related settlement the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) has reached under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Lafourche additionally consented to be monitored by the OCR for a period of two years, as well as agreeing to a corrective action plan, the agency announced Thursday.
In May 2021, Lafourche reported to the HHS it was breached through a phishing attack that occurred two months prior. The attack affected the electronic protected health information of nearly 35,000 individuals, the agency’s investigation found.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
News BriefChange Healthcare facing HHS probe following crippling cyberattack
Change Healthcare, a health payment processor hit by a crippling cyberattack in February, is under investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights.
-
News BriefMontefiore Medical Center to pay $4.8M over employee’s data theft
Montefiore Medical Center agreed to pay $4.75 million to settle allegations by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights that failures by the New York City nonprofit facility allowed an employee to steal and sell patient information for six months.
-
News BriefHHS: New cybersecurity regs on the way for hospitals
Hospitals can soon expect to see new draft cybersecurity regulations and benchmarking goals, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleFalse Claims Act enforcement themes for 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice touted a record $6.8 billion in False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries in fiscal year 2025, much of that total stems from prior years’ cases and does not necessarily reflect the administration’s current enforcement direction.
-
ArticleFederal jury convicts former coal executive in Egypt-linked coal FCPA case
A former vice president of an American coal company was convicted by a federal jury for his part in an international bribery and money laundering scheme. The conviction represents an anomoly in the Trump administration’s handling of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases launched under former President Joe Biden.
-
ArticleU.K. financial regulator cuts cases to focus on investigations that achieve results
The U.K. financial regulator has dropped 100 investigations without action over the past three years, but compliance should expect a refocus of resources rather than a retreat from enforcement.