OCR settles two HIPAA breach suits totaling $5.5 million

The Office for Civil Rights used the instances to highlight the importance of holding business associates and research centers accountable to privacy and security laws.
Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights closed a pair of HIPAA breach settlements with North Memorial Health Care of Minnesota and Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

The larger penalty went to Feinstein, at $3.9 million, OCR said on Thursday. That came just one day after the office announced that North Memorial agreed to pony up $1.55 million.

OCR initiated its investigation of North Memorial following receipt of a breach report on September 27, 2011, which indicated …Read More