The healthcare industry in the United States has experienced a significant increase in ransomware attacks, and the trend is likely to continue. It’s easy money for the hackers.
Q: An employee in a psychiatric hospital’s billing department sees a fellow parishioner’s name. He calls other parishioners to tell them that this individual is a patient at the hospital, and they share this information on a prayer chain. Suddenly, several hundred people know that this parishioner is a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Is this an acceptable disclosure?
As the novel coronavirus remains a threat across the globe, healthcare organizations should brush up on procedures for handling and sharing protected health information (PHI) during the outbreak of an infectious disease.
Q: What are the HIPAA rules regarding disclosures of health information to a patient’s same-sex partner when the couple is not married or the partner is not considered a relative under the law?
As we move into a new decade, the burgeoning partnerships between giant tech companies and healthcare organizations bring great promise and many questions.
