The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has again delayed enforcement of the HIPAA 5010 transaction standards, pushing the deadline back three months to June 30, 2012.

The flurry of activity on HIPAA transaction standards continues. The Department of Health and Human Services published an interim final rule for standards on electronic funds [...]

The last organizations are hurrying to complete their transitions to version 5010 of the HIPAA transaction standards. CMS expects nearly everyone to cross the finish line before enforcement begins March 31, and it does not anticipate extending the deadline further.

Enforcement of the 5010 HIPAA transaction standards has been delayed until March 31, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Nov. 17.

Theft remains the leading cause of large-scale data breaches, according to a review of Office for Civil Rights’ statistics. Simple practices and technologies can help secure laptops and other equipment and safeguard the data they contain.

Patients retain the right to keep their medical records private even after death. The laws surrounding just who has a legal right to view those records [...]

A recent lawsuit in Indiana highlights the rights that HIPAA grants—and does not grant—individuals who believe they have been the victims of wrongful disclosure.

The Office for Civil Rights has fined Cignet Health of Prince George’s County, MD, $4.3 million for violations of the HIPAA privacy rule stemming from activities in 2008 and 2009. OCR charged Cignet with violating the rights of 41 patients by denying them access to their medical records.