The AHA today urged the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights to quickly initiate rulemaking for a legislative provision (H.R. 7898) enacted by Congress this year to recognize certain recommended security practices when making determinations related to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act audits, fines and resolution agreements.

“The law appropriately recognizes that covered entities and business associates, like all entities including the Federal Government, can never fully eliminate the risk of cyberattacks,” AHA wrote. “When the inevitable attack occurs, entities should not be penalized, but rather treated as the victims of a crime. The law translates this concept by allowing certain measures of regulatory relief if the HIPAA-covered entity or business-associate victim had in place federally recognized security practices, such as those defined under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and developed under Section 405(d) of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015.”
 

Related News Articles

Headline
Key findings from a report titled “The Case for Change” have identified four drivers of some of the most pressing challenges to health care in New York state.…
Headline
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Feb. 7 released the text of the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 budget resolution. …
Headline
The AHA is advising hospitals and health systems to be alert for potential scam calls where actors are impersonating Drug Enforcement Agency agents. An AHA…
Headline
The AHA today voiced support for the Rural Hospital Support Act (S. 335), legislation that would make the Medicare-dependent Hospital program and low-volume…
Headline
The AHA voiced support for bipartisan House legislation introduced Feb. 4 to reauthorize for five years the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act…
Headline
The Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare has released its first year-end report, highlighting accomplishments from 2024. Among its efforts, Coalition…