Vernaglia Quoted on HIPAA Penalties

Foley Partner Lawrence Vernaglia was quoted in an article that appeared in the April 2011 issue of Healthcare Risk Management titled “Shocker: First Civil Penalty for HIPAA Violation.” Vernaglia discusses the large civil monetary penalty handed down by the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Cignet Health, stating that the penalty might foreshadow increased scrutiny and a stronger willingness to assess significant penalties against covered entities for HIPAA violations. He adds that the case is a reminder for risk managers to cooperate fully with HHS investigations and examine their current HIPAA policies and practices to verify that an entity’s operations are current with recent legal changes.