Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

HIPAA Enforcement: A Reality Check

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 30, 2014

HIPAA settlements with large financial penalties grab headlines, but the majority of regulatory actions tied to breaches and other HIPAA complaints call for no such penalties. And most complaints are dismissed. Find out why.

$800,000 Penalty for Paper Records Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 23, 2014

A new $800,000 HIPAA settlement between federal regulators and an Indiana community health system is another reminder that protecting paper patient records is just as important as safeguarding electronic records. Find out the settlement details.

GOP Report Blasts HealthCare.gov Flaws

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 23, 2014

A GOP report offers a scathing assessment of technical and management issues - including security practices - that contributed to the troubled launch of HealthCare.gov. Meanwhile, HHS announces new management positions for the Obamacare project.

House Panel Probes FTC Procedures

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 20, 2014

In another twist in the ongoing dispute between the FTC and LabMD, a House Committee is investigating the relationship between the commission and a security vendor that is at the center of a data security case against the medical testing lab.

Preventing Breaches: Don't Forget Paper

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 16, 2014

It's well known that lost or stolen unencrypted computing devices account for the majority of large health data breaches. But a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services shines a light on how frequently breaches - especially smaller ones - involve paper records.

Conn. AG Investigates Breach Dispute

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 16, 2014

An acrimonious dispute between a community health center and its former IT director has evolved into a breach investigation by Connecticut's attorney general. Find out the unusual details of case.

LabMD Case: House Committee Gets Involved

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 12, 2014

A U.S. House committee is investigating security firm Tiversa over allegedly inaccurate information it provided to the Federal Trade Commission in its battle with medical test lab LabMD over data security.

Privacy Chief Joy Pritts Leaving ONC

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 12, 2014

Joy Pritts, the first chief privacy officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, is leaving the job after four years in the position. The move comes as ONC is revamping its structure.

Small Breach, Big Lesson in Backpack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 10, 2014

A call center worker at the Connecticut health insurance exchange loses a backpack containing notepads containing sensitive consumer information. Investigators want to know why the paper-based information left the building.

Florida Fights Fraud with Authentication

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 9, 2014

Florida's recent rollout of knowledge-based authentication in the application process for various benefits programs, including Medicaid, is already helping to crack down on ID theft and fraud, says Andrew McClenahan, who heads the effort.

A Look at ONC's 10-Year Plan

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 6, 2014

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has unveiled its 10-year plan for achieving an interoperable, nationwide health IT infrastructure. The plan includes privacy and security among five core building blocks.

Burwell Confirmed as HHS Secretary

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 5, 2014

The Senate has confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, replacing Kathleen Sebelius, who announced her resignation in the wake of the troubled HealthCare.gov launch.

The New ONC: Impact on Privacy, Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 5, 2014

Although the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is reorganizing, it appears privacy and security issues will remain a top priority at the agency. Here are the latest details.

A CISO's Strategy for Winning Funding

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 2, 2014

Making senior management aware of the risks involved in failing to invest in security technology is essential to getting buy-in, says Phil Curran, CISO at Cooper University Health Care.

Health Breach Tally Tops 1,000 Incidents

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 30, 2014

The federal tally of major health data breaches has hit a new milestone; it now lists more than 1,000 incidents affecting 500 or more individuals. Experts weigh in on the lessons to be learned from the details of these breaches.