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Month: May 2019

Update: Surprise Medical Bills

Update: Surprise Medical Bills

May 22, 2019 Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! That famous line routinely delivered by a beloved actor from a 60s sitcom is resounding once again—this time in the halls of government. A few months ago there was a serious effort on Capitol Hill to craft legislation that would put an end to so-called “surprise medical bills.” This month, President Trump added his voice to the debate, calling for quick passage of a bill that would rescue patients from catastrophic costs tied to…

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OCR Reduces Monetary Penalties for HIPAA Violations

OCR Reduces Monetary Penalties for HIPAA Violations

May 1, 2019 Penalties for violations of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) will be capped based on a different cumulative annual limit for each of the four penalty tiers detailed in the HITECH Act of 2009, the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights announced in a notification of enforcement discretion published yesterday. The HITECH Act, which was designed to strengthen HIPAA enforcement by increasing potential civil monetary penalties (CMPs) against healthcare providers for…

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