Day Pitney healthcare lawyer Eric Fader is one of the authors of the 2017 edition of Westlaws “Data Security and Privacy Law” treatise, published by Thomson Reuters. Eric edited the “Health Care Privacy and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996” chapter of the treatise, as he has done since the 2014 edition.
New material in this years edition includes:
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) continued to ramp up the number and size of HIPAA enforcement actions, and shifted its focus toward business associates.
- HHS has focused on HIPAA privacy and security obligations with respect to mobile health apps and cloud computing.
- HHS has addressed the HIPAA consequences of ransomware.
- OCR Phase 2 HIPAA audits began, covering covered entities and business associates compliance with the privacy, security, and breach notification rules.
- HHS implemented changes in consent requirements for the disclosure of substance abuse records.
