Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

How Biden's AI Executive Order Will Affect Healthcare

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  November 27, 2023

President Joe Biden's recent executive order for artificial intelligence encourages investment in AI while setting a vision for a regulatory framework to address issues involving AI technology safety, bias and other concerns in healthcare, said attorney Wendell Bartnick of the law firm Reed Smith.

Long-Term Care Services Firm Says Breach Affects 4.2 Million

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 15, 2023

A vendor of clinical and third-party administrative services to managed care organizations and healthcare providers serving elderly and disabled patients said a cybersecurity incident last summer has affected more than 4.2 million individuals.

Feds Fine Web Hosting Firm in Kids Insurance Site Hack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 14, 2023

A Florida company will pay nearly $300,000 to settle allegations stemming from a 2020 hacking incident that revealed the personal identifying information of hundreds of thousands of minors. The settlement with Jelly Bean Communications Design is part of a federal crackdown on lax cybersecurity.

Breast Cancer Patients Sue Over Breached Exam Photos, Data

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 14, 2023

A cancer patient whose partially naked exam photos and personal data were stolen and subsequently posted on a ransomware leak site last month filed a proposed class action lawsuit, alleging that Lehigh Valley Health Network's refusal to pay the ransom "prioritized money over patient privacy."

Not-So-Cerebral Sharing of Mental Health Data Hits Millions

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 10, 2023

A provider of online mental health services is notifying nearly 3.2 million people that the company used website tracking tools to share sensitive patient information with third parties including Facebook, Google and TikTok - without the individuals' consent.

HHS OCR Asks Congress for Big Funding Boost

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 10, 2023

President Joe Biden's budget request for fiscal 2024 includes a big proposed boost for the federal office charged with enforcing privacy and security within the healthcare industry. The proposal asks for $78 million in appropriations for the Office of Civil Rights.

New Guide to Help Healthcare Entities Implement NIST CSF

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 8, 2023

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Sector Coordinating Council on Wednesday published an updated toolkit that aims to help healthcare entities align security programs with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cybersecurity Framework.

Scrutiny Over Health Data Tracking, Disclosures Grows

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 7, 2023

Privacy concerns involving the tracking, collection and disclosure of sensitive health data of consumers - without their knowledge or consent - remain top enforcement priorities for federal regulators, as well as top legislative fodder for some members of Congress.

Biden National Cyber Strategy Poses Challenges to Healthcare

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 3, 2023

The Biden administration's national cybersecurity strategy emphasizes bolstering critical infrastructure sector protections, including setting minimum security requirements and enhancing collaboration. But observers says the industry needs more resources and a better security posture to comply.

Irish Authorities Levy GDPR Fine in Centric Health Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  March 1, 2023

Irish authorities have fined a healthcare organization 460,000 euros - about $490,000 - for a 2019 Calum ransomware breach that compromised sensitive information of 70,000 patients, including the permanent deletion of data for about 2,500 of them.

Supreme Court Hears Healthcare Identity Theft Case

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 28, 2023

A case before the U.S. Supreme Court may limit federal prosecutors' ability to bring charges of aggravated identity theft. A Texas man convicted of overbilling Medicaid argued Monday he's not also guilty of identity theft since he had a patient's permission to submit the bill.

Telehealth Privacy Concerns to Be in Spotlight Post-COVID-19

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 27, 2023

With the U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency expected to end in May, the government is set to scrutinize telehealth providers for HIPAA violations. That’s why healthcare firms should review their telehealth platforms and vendors, says privacy attorney Adam Greene of Davis Wright Tremaine.

5 Lawsuits Filed in Ransomware Breach Affecting 3.3 Million

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 22, 2023

Five proposed class action lawsuits have been filed so far in the wake of a California medical group's Feb. 1 report of a ransomware attack last December affecting more than 3.3 million individuals. The incident is the largest health data breach reported to federal regulators so far this year.

HHS Will Seek HIPAA Changes for Reproductive Health Data

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 20, 2023

Federal regulators are working on proposed rule to modify HIPAA to better safeguard the privacy of reproductive health data. The Biden administration last year already issued guidance about the application of the HIPAA Privacy Rule to information about reproductive health.

2 State AGs Slap DNA Testing Lab With HIPAA Fines for Hack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  February 17, 2023

The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Ohio have slapped a DNA testing lab with HIPAA settlements totaling $400,000 in the wake of a 2021 hack of a legacy database that affected 2.1 million individuals nationwide, including nearly 46,000 consumers in the two states.