Today, the U.S. Department of health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolving of three investigations and one affair before an organisation Law judge related to compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act (HIPAA) secrecy Rule. two of these cases are section of OCRs HIPAA right of access Initiative, bringing the total number of these enforcement actions to twenty-seven since the initiative began. OCR created this initiative to funding individuals’ right to timely access their health records at a reasonable cost under the HIPAA privateness Rule. The other enforcement actions outcome from healthcare providers impermissibly disclosing their patients protected health information (PHI). Between the rising stride of breaches of unsecured protected health information and continued cyber security threats impacting the health care industry, it is critical that covered entities take their HIPAA submission responsibilities seriously, said OCR director Lisa J. Pino. OCR will continue our steadfast commitment to protect individuals health info privacy and security through enforcement, and we will pursue civil money penalties for violations that are not addressed. OCR has taken the following enforcement actions that underline the importance and essential of compliance with the HIPAA Rules, including the foundational right of access provision: dr. Donald Brockley, D.D.M., a solo dental practitioner in Butler, Pennsylvania, failed to provide a patient with a copy of their medical record.� After being issued a note of Proposed Determination, Dr. Donald Brockley, D.D.M requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.� The litigation was resolved before the court made a determination by a settlement agreement in which dr. Donald Brockley, D.D.M agreed to pay $30,000 and accept corrective actions to comply with the HIPAA privateness Rule’s right of access standard. Dr. U. Phillip Igbinadolor, D.M.D. & Associates, P.A. (UPI), a dental praxis with offices in Charlotte and Monroe, north Carolina, impermissibly disclosed a patients PHI on a webpage in response to a negative online review.� UPI did not respond to OCRs data request, did not answer or object to an administrative subpoena, and waived its rights to a hearing by not contesting the findings in OCRs observation of Proposed Determination.� OCR imposed a $50,000 civil money penalty. Jacob and Associates, a psychiatric medical services provider with two office locations in California, agreed to take corrective actions and pay OCR $28,000 to determine potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, including provisions of the right of access standard; Northcutt Dental-Fairhope, LLC�(Northcutt Dental), a dental practise in Fairhope, Alabama, who impermissibly disclosed its patients PHI to a crusade coach and a third-party marketing company hired to help with a state senate election campaign, agreed to read corrective activity and pay $62,500 to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Individuals who conceive their HIPAA rights have been violated have the�right to�file a complaint�with OCR and may find more info on their rights under the privateness Rule�here. Source: HHS