According to the US Department of Health and Human Services , Catholic Health Care Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule after the theft of a CHCS mobile device compromised the protected health information (PHI) of hundreds of nursing home residents. CHCS provided management and information technology services as a business associate to six skilled nursing facilities. The total number of individuals affected by the combined breaches was 412. The settlement includes a monetary payment of $650,000 and a corrective action plan.
“Business associates must implement the protections of the HIPAA Security Rule for the electronic protected health information they create, receive, maintain, or transmit from covered entities,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director Jocelyn Samuels. “This includes an enterprise-wide risk analysis and corresponding risk management plan, which are the cornerstones of the HIPAA Security Rule.”
Read complete information from the US Department of Health and Human Services here:
