HIPAA Complaints Vex Healthcare Organizations [Thanks, Øbamacare]

Informationweek ^ | 7/8/2014 | Alison Diana

[markomalley]

Since 2013, complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services have risen regarding Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act violations.

The number of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violation complaints received by the Department of Health and Human Services spiraled upward in 2013. Complaints are on a similar high-speed trajectory for 2014, according to analysis by TrueVault.

"The number of complaints through May 2014 is up 20.6% over the number received through May in 2013, so we believe that we will continue to see complaints surge through 2014," Morgan Brown, vice president of growth at TrueVault, said in an interview. As of May 2014, there had been 111,826 complaints, versus 96,726 a year earlier.

Of those complaints, corrective action was required in 26% of cases HHS reviewed. Only 14% of complaints resulted in no action -- a statistic that "points to the severity of the problem of keeping patient data safe and secure," said Brown.

Increased consumer awareness might be one reason, he said. Regulatory changes are another.

"At the same time, we'll see enforcement activity rise with the enactment of the new Omnibus Final Rule regulations that went into effect last year," he said.

"The new rule introduced new, higher fines and requires that all business associates meet HIPAA compliance standards. Previously, only covered entities were subject to the law."

[markomalley]

We haven't seen anything yet. The only way for you to keep your medical information private is to not see a medical provider in the USA. Otherwise, you can figure that it is all out there.

And just like the IRS, the centralized government database maintained by CMS (Center for Medicare Statistics -- part of HHS) will ABSOLUTELY be used for political reprisals for enemies of the regime.

[BuffaloJack]

Three weeks ago my doctor told me that he received a report from my prescription insurance, Rite Aid, that I was skipping doses of my meds. I told him that I had about a month’s worth provided by my daughter’s father-in-law, a doctor from the free stuff he gets from the drug companies.
What I want to know is who authorized Rite Aid to tattle?
This seems like a major breach of my privacy.

[ridesthemiles]

I am almost 75 years old. I have been on Medicare since I turned 65.

I have NOT used one single penny of that coverage.

With Obamacare & ‘all records stored electronically’, I refuse to get any medical help.

Would rather die first.