Senators Seek HHS Update to HIPAA, FBI Warns About Legacy Devices
Senators are teaming up to ask HHS to expand HIPAA after the end of federal abortion protection, and the FBI is warning providers about holes in their legacy system’s security.
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By - An FBI warning letter shared with healthcare providers encouraged them to take an active interest in their legacy systems after the agency noticed increasing security holes across a range of medical devices.
Meanwhile, 30 senators mailed a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking the agency to expand HIPAA protections and stop law enforcement agencies from seeking out medical information related to abortions.
Senators Implore HHS Update HIPAA
A group of 30 US Senators recently penned a request to HHS imploring the agency to update and strengthen HIPAA protections. The legislators, led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), were following up on a previous letter to HHS that a group of Senators issued in July after the Dobbs decision ended federal protections for abortion rights.
Said the Senators’ letter: “Our nation faces a crisis in access to reproductive health services, and some states have already begun to investigate and punish women seeking abortion care. It is critical that HHS take all available action to fully protect women’s privacy and their ability to safely and confidentially seek medical care.” READ MORE.
FBI Warning About Legacy Medical Devices
A new FBI notice is warning providers about the patient safety risks associated with unpatched and legacy devices. The FBI issued its bulletin after observing increased medical device vulnerabilities across various products that hackers could exploit to harm patient health and seriously damage healthcare providers’ IT infrastructure. The bureau recommended that organizations prioritize endpoint security for all devices and that they encrypt their device data whenever possible. READ MORE.
Telehealth Company Being Investigated by the DEA
Done Health, a telemental health provider, is being investigated for its prescribing practices for controlled substances. According to a report released by the Wall Street Journal, the DEA is now questioning Done employees about their prescribing practices and investigating whether the company overprescribed medications to treat behavioral health issues. Done is not the only telemental health company in the hot seat, as DEA officials are also investigating telehealth company Cerebral for apparently overprescribing controlled substances. READ MORE.
Cigna Being Sued for Underpayment
The American Medical Association and other prominent medical societies are suing healthcare payer Cigna, claiming it participated in consistent underpayment of in-network physicians. The class action suit brought against Cigna claims that the private payer refused to apply discounts for medical services as a part of its MultiPlan network, exposing patients to the threat of balance billing.
“Our clients allege that Cigna contractually agreed to apply certain rates, promised in plan documents to honor those rates, and then flatly ignored its contracts and promises,” said Andrew N. Goldfarb, partner at Zuckerman Spaeder, the law firm representing the plaintiffs. READ MORE.
USDA Pays for Epic EHR in Iowa
Recently, a health system in Iowa received a $750,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture to install a new Epic EHR system. The Washington County Hospital and Clinics health system operates in southeast Iowa and has been providing care for its primarily rural residents for over 100 years. The county’s new EHR project is expected to take one year to become operational, with the final rollout to be completed by November 2023. READ MORE.
