[BreachExchange] TV INTERVIEW COSTS CONNECTICUT PHYSICIANS $125K FOR HIPAA INFRACTIONS

[Destry Winant]

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/tv-interview-costs-connecticut-physicians-125k-hipaa-infractions

A Connecticut physicians group will pay the federal government
$125,000 to settle alleged violations of confidentiality laws after
disclosing a patient's identity to the news media.

The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human
Services alleged that one of three physicians at Allergy Associates of
Hartford, PC, disclosed a patient's health information in 2015 while
responding to a television reporter's inquiry.

The patient had contacted the television station to complain about an
Allergy Associates physician who allegedly turned away the woman from
the practice because she used a service animal, the OCR complaint
said.

When a reporter at the television station contacted the physician to
hear that side of the story, "the doctor impermissibly disclosed the
patient's protected health information to the reporter," OCR said.

The alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act came after the doctor was told by Allergy
Associates' privacy officer to not respond to the media.

Not surprisingly, Allergy Associates did not respond to HealthLeaders'
request for a statement.

OCR said the doctor—whose name was not disclosed—"demonstrated a
reckless disregard for the patient's privacy rights," and that Allergy
Associates failed to discipline the doctor or take any corrective
action following the illegal disclosure.

"When a patient complains about a medical practice, doctors cannot
respond by disclosing private patient information to the media," OCR
Director Roger Severino said in a media release.

"Because egregious disclosures can lead to substantial penalties,
covered entities need to pay close attention to HIPAA’s privacy rules,
especially when responding to press inquiries," he said.

In addition to the $125,000 payout, Allergy Associates agreed to a
corrective action plan that includes two years of monitoring their
compliance with the HIPAA Rules.

The agreement states that it is not an admission of liability by
Allergy Associates, nor is it a concession from HHS that HIPAA laws
were not violated.