HHS Waives HIPAA Penalties for Operation of a Community-Based COVID-19 Testing Site

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HHS Waives HIPAA Penalties for Operation of a Community-Based COVID-19 Testing Site

By Conor Duffy

April 9, 2020

On April 9, 2020 the Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued another Notification that it will exercise its enforcement discretion and not impose penalties for HIPAA violations in connection with good faith participation in the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during the COVID-19 emergency.…

OIG Will Not Impose Administrative Sanctions for AKS Violations for Conduct Covered by Certain Blanket Waivers of the Stark Law

By Conor Duffy

April 9, 2020

On April 3, 2020 the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a Policy Statement to notify health care providers and other parties subject to the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) that the OIG will not impose administrative sanctions for potential AKS violations for COVID-19-related arrangements that are covered by some – but not all – of the Blanket Waivers of the Physician Self-Referral (Stark) Law issued on March 30 (see here for our analysis of the Blanket…

FBI Issues Warning of Increased BEC During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 9, 2020

On April 6, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning to companies to be aware of an increase in business email compromises (BEC) entitled “FBI Anticipates Rise in Business Email Compromise Schemes Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Although BECs have been around for years, attackers are using the fact that many employees are working from home during the pandemic to their advantage. The typical BEC involves the attacker impersonating the CEO or…

Android Users: Beware of the Latest Banking Scam Capitalizing on COVID-19

By Deborah George

April 9, 2020

The Ginp Banking Trojan is not a new way of scamming users into giving up credit card details, however, the latest version apparently capitalizes on COVID-19 anxiety. Recently, security researchers at Kaspersky revealed that the Ginp Trojan works by asking a user for a small payment via credit card, and in return the user is supposed to receive information about individuals infected with COVID-19 in the user’s area. Of course, this is a scam, and…

Working from Home During the Pandemic? Turn Alexa and Siri Off!

April 9, 2020

The transition from work-from-the-office to work-from-home has been rapid during the pandemic. All of a sudden, millions of workers are working from home, while data security personnel were not able to plan and operationalize the transition in an optimal way. Many security measures are being put in place now as everyone settles into the new norm. One of the things that may be considered by companies is the fact that many employees have personal digital…

Package Delivery by Drone, Awaiting Final Federal Rules

By Kathryn Rattigan

April 9, 2020

Drone package delivery is a reality, albeit only in a few limited markets. However, once regulations permit, many companies are ready and awaiting large-scale operations. From medical prescriptions to fast food delivery, 2020 will likely see more and more delivery by drone, but it will take federal promulgation of final rules before the industry can officially take off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does have final rules in the pipeline, but in the meantime, the…

Privacy Tip #234 – Children’s Privacy During the Pandemic

April 9, 2020

Kids are at home all day now, remote learning and surfing the web more than ever before. Parents are working from home too, and understandably are not always able to monitor and supervise their children’s computer use as much as they should or would like to. Scammers, fraudsters and evil doers know this and are taking advantage of the new situation. Children have always been targeted online, through social media and other platforms, and parents…

Connecticut Governor Limits COVID-19 Liability for Providers and Facilities, Restricts Surprise Billing for COVID-19 Treatment, and Expands the Health Care Workforce in Recent Executive Orders.

By Conor Duffy

April 8, 2020

Governor Lamont issued two new executive orders designed to expand the health care workforce, immunize providers from COVID-19-related liability, and protect patients from out-of-network bills for COVID-19 treatment. On April 5, 2020 Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7U creating financial protections for uninsured patients and insured patients receiving out-of-network care. On April 7, 2020 Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7V expanding temporary practice permits, allowing practice before licensure for certain health care profession graduates and…

City of L.A. Email Blunder Exposes COVID-19 Test Results to All Recipients