This month's Q&A answers our readers' questions about releasing protected health information via a health information exchange, sharing patient information with law enforcement, and paper record retention requirments.
In a year of uncertainty, the healthcare industry can rely on one thing: OCR is taking HIPAA enforcement seriously. As of July 1, OCR has collected more than $17 million in monetary settlements from nine organizations.
Consumer-facing health apps and personal health records are booming, and some covered entities such as health plans or clinics leverage these services to help patients. But it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether these vendors fall under HIPAA or not.
