Comprehensive Neurology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with Comprehensive Neurology, (Comprehensive), a small New York neurology practice, concerning a potential violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. The settlement resolves an OCR investigation of a ransomware attack against Comprehensive. OCR enforces the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, which set forth the requirements that covered entities (health plans, health care clearinghouses, and most health care providers), and business associates must follow to protect the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI). The HIPAA Security Rule establishes national standards to protect and secure our health care information systems by requiring administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, security, and availability of electronic PHI (ePHI). Ransomware and hacking are the primary cyberthreats to electronic health information in health care. Ransomware is a type of malware (malicious software) designed to deny access to a user’s data, usually by