Skip to content

Discerning Data

  • About Us
  • Additional Resources
  • Contact Us

DISCERNING DATA

A Faegre Drinker Blog Covering the Latest in Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Strategy

  • Privacy
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Strategy
  • Disruptionware

Business Associate Failed to Safeguard 3.5 Million Patients’ Medical Records

Share

Medical Informatics Engineering, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (MIE) and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OCR) entered into a $100,000 settlement and two-year corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

On July 23, 2015, MIE filed a HIPAA breach report with HHS-OCR upon discovering that hackers accessed the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of approximately 3.5 million individuals. MIE discovered suspicious activity on one of its servers on May 26, 2015, and further learned that the hackers gained unauthorized access beginning May 7, 2015. In addition to determining the impermissible disclosure of 3.5 million individuals’ ePHI, HHS-OCR further concluded that MIE failed to conduct an accurate and thorough risk analysis of its potential risk and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its ePHI.

As a reminder, business associates are directly obligated to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule. Business associates must conduct and document a risk analysis of their information systems to identify potential security risks and respond appropriately. Business associates should also routinely review and update their risk analyses. HHS-OCR has provided a sample risk assessment tool that is freely available to covered entities and business associates alike.

If you have any comments or questions about this settlement agreement or HIPAA generally, please reach out to any member of the Drinker Biddle Health Care Group.

The material contained in this communication is informational, general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. The material contained in this communication should not be relied upon or used without consulting a lawyer to consider your specific circumstances. This communication was published on the date specified and may not include any changes in the topics, laws, rules or regulations covered. Receipt of this communication does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In some jurisdictions, this communication may be considered attorney advertising.

About the Author: Sumaya M. Noush

Sumaya Noush counsels health care clients on strategic and operational matters, including transactions, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. View Sumaya's full bio on the Faegre Drinker website.

Receive Email Alerts to New Articles

SUBSCRIBE

May 28, 2019
Written by: Sumaya M. Noush
Category: HIPAA
Tags: data security, HHS-OCR, HIPAA

Post navigation

Previous Previous post: As Cyberattacks Rise, U.S. Business Readiness Falls
Next Next post: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Issues Risk Alert Regarding Safeguarding Customer Records and Information Stored on Cloud-Based Platforms

Search the Blog

Sign Up for Email Alerts

PODCASTS

Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology

©2023 Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. All Rights Reserved. Lawyer Advertising.

  • About Us
  • Additional Resources
  • Contact Us
We use cookies to improve your experience with our website. By browsing our site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies. For more information about how we use cookies, please review our privacy policy and cookie policy. OK
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT