The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) have announced the release of an updated version of the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool.

The SRA tool was developed to help small to medium-sized healthcare providers comply with the security risk assessment provision of the HIPAA Security Rule, one of the foundational requirements of the Security Rule. A HIPAA risk assessment failure is the most commonly identified HIPAA Security Rule violation, and OCR currently has an active enforcement initiative targeting noncompliance. Through its investigations of complaints, data breaches, and compliance audits, OCR commonly discovers that HIPAA-regulated entities have either failed to conduct a risk assessment or that risk assessments are inaccurate or incomplete. For instance, a risk assessment is conducted based on an incomplete or out-of-date asset inventory.

The enforcement initiative was announced by OCR in October 2024 when the first penalty was imposed on Bryan County Ambulance Authority in Oklahoma. Since then, OCR has imposed 10 financial penalties for risk analysis failures, making it the most common reason for security-related HIPAA civil monetary penalties and settlements.

The SRA tool is an invaluable tool for small and medium-sized healthcare providers, as it guides them through the process of conducting a risk assessment. The latest release, version 3.6, includes several updates to improve usability. A new assessment confirmation button has been added with a reviewed-by date for each section, allowing users to confirm that a section has been reviewed and approved, which will be saved for audit records.

The risk scale has been updated to align with NIST scoring, with the score of “medium” changed to “moderate”. Updated library files will be installed when the new version is installed, mitigating vulnerabilities that may exist in outdated versions. The reports have been updated with new content, including section-specific approval/reviewed-by details and additional information entered by users. There have also been improvements to questions, responses, and education to make the SRA Tool more relevant to the evolving cybersecurity environment and to improve ease of use.

OCR and ASTP are hosting two live webinars this month on the SRA Tool. Experts will provide an introduction to the SRA tool, demonstrate the new features and enhanced reports, and will be available to answer questions about the tool and new features. The webinars will be held on September 15, 2025, at 12 p.m. ET, and on September 16, 2025, at 3 p.m. ET. You can register for the webinar on this link.

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A New York business associate has chosen to settle an alleged violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and will pay a $175,000 financial penalty.

BST & Co. CPAs, LLP, is a public accounting, business advisory, and management consulting firm that has clients in the healthcare industry. The provision of services to HIPAA-covered entities requires access to financial information, which includes information protected under HIPAA. As such, BST & Co. CPAs is classed as a business associate and is required to comply with the HIPAA Rules.

OCR launched an investigation following a report of a breach of protected health information in a ransomware attack. The Maze ransomware group had access to the BST & Co. CPAs network between December 4, 2019, and December 7, 2019, and installed ransomware that was used to encrypt files. The attack was detected on December 7, 2019, and the forensic investigation revealed that initial access was achieved following a response to a phishing email.

The ransomware group had access to parts of the network where protected health information was stored. In total, the protected health information of up to 170,000 individuals was potentially compromised in the attack, including names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, medical billing codes, and insurance descriptions relating to patients of the New York medical group, Community Care Physicians P.C. OCR was notified about the attack and data breach on February 16, 2020.

OCR investigates all data breaches impacting 500 or more individuals to determine if noncompliance with the HIPAA Rules was a factor in the data breach. OCR found no evidence to suggest that a HIPAA-compliant risk analysis had been conducted. The risk analysis is a foundational provision of the HIPAA Security Rule and requires regulated entities to identify risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information. If the risk analysis is not conducted or is incomplete, risks are likely to remain unaddressed and can be exploited to gain access to protected networks and sensitive data.

OCR currently has a risk analysis enforcement initiative focused on this important Security Rule provision, as while it is one of the most important HIPAA provisions, it is also one of the most common areas of noncompliance. Under this specific enforcement initiative, OCR has resolved ten cases with a financial penalty. So far this year, OCR has announced nineteen enforcement actions that included a financial penalty to resolve HIPAA noncompliance. Sixteen of those investigations uncovered risk analysis failures.

“A HIPAA risk analysis is essential for identifying where ePHI is stored and what security measures are needed to protect it,” said OCR Director Paula M. Stannard.  “Completing an accurate and thorough risk analysis that informs a risk management plan is a foundational step to mitigate or prevent cyberattacks and breaches.”

In addition to the financial penalty, BST & Co. CPAs has agreed to adopt a corrective action plan and will be monitored for compliance with that plan for 2 years. The plan includes the requirement to conduct a comprehensive and accurate risk analysis and develop and implement a risk management plan to address all identified risks and vulnerabilities. BST & Co. CPAs must also develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure HIPAA compliance, distribute those policies and procedures to the workforce, provide HIPAA training to the workforce, and augment its security awareness training program.

With nineteen HIPAA enforcement actions announced by OCR so far this year, 2025 looks set to become the most active year for OCR in terms of HIPAA enforcement. These penalties send a message to all HIPAA-regulated entities about the importance of HIPAA compliance. Across those nineteen enforcement actions, OCR has collected more than $8 million in financial penalties.

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Back in February, The HIPAA Journal reported on the efforts of the non-profit watchdog organizations the Campaign for Accountability and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to prevent crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) from claiming or implying they are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on their websites and intake forms, when they are not HIPAA-regulated entities.

Most CPCs are not licensed healthcare providers and are therefore not bound by the HIPAA Rules, yet CPCs have been identified by the Campaign for Accountability and EFF that imply that they are bound by the HIPAA Rules. Regardless of personal opinions about abortion procedures and reproductive healthcare, implying that personal data is protected by HIPAA when it is not is a deceptive business practice.

Under HIPAA, regulated entities are healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and business associates of those entities, and all are required to comply with the HIPAA Rules. One of the requirements of HIPAA is to have a notice of privacy practices, which should be displayed in a prominent position in a physical location and be published on the entity’s website. The notice of privacy practices must clearly state how the entity may use and share health information, individuals’ privacy rights, and how to make a complaint about a potential privacy violation, including the right to file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Investigations by the watchdogs identified CPCs that have a website notice of privacy practices, which indicates compliance with the HIPAA Rules. Some even state in their notice of privacy practices that individuals can file a complaint with the HHS if they feel their privacy has been violated. While anyone can file a complaint with the HHS about a potential HIPAA violation, the HHS will not act on any complaint if it is filed against a non-HIPAA-regulated entity. While a CPC may comply with its published privacy policy, uses and disclosures of personally identifiable health information are not subject to HIPAA protections, and implying or stating that information is protected under HIPAA misleads consumers about privacy protections.

Both the Campaign for Accountability and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed complaints with several state attorneys general about the alleged deceptive business practices. In 2024, the Campaign for Accountability filed complaints with the state attorneys general in Idaho, Minnesota, Washington, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and this year, EFF filed complaints with the state attorneys general in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Florida. The complaints included examples of CPCs in the respective states that were alleged to have engaged in deceptive business practices.

The complaints include numerous statements from CPC websites indicating HIPAA compliance, when those entities are not bound by the HIPAA Rules. For example, some CPCs state “client information is held in strict and absolute confidence, according to HIPAA guidelines,” or that they are subject to oversight by the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, or that their forms are HIPAA-compliant. In one case, a CPC claimed, “If you receive services through [CPC], federal law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), also protects your health information.” In each case, the CPC is not a HIPAA-regulated entity.

In a recent update, the EFF confirmed that its efforts are showing some signs of success. While substantive responses have not been received from state attorneys general, other than confirmations that the complaints have been received, some CPCs have responded and have made changes to their messaging. “Of the 21 CPCs we cited as exhibits in our complaints, six have completely removed HIPAA references from their websites, and one has made partial changes (removed one of two misleading claims). Notably, every center we flagged in our letters to Texas AG Ken Paxton and Arkansas AG Tim Griffin has updated its website—a clear sign that clinics in these states are responding to scrutiny,” said EFF legislative activist, Rindala Alajaji. “While 14 remain unchanged, this is a promising development. These centers are clearly paying attention—and changing their messaging.”

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Fifteen nurses at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington, have been terminated for alleged HIPAA violations. The nurses allegedly accessed the medical records of a 12-year-old patient who committed suicide at the children’s hospital on April 13, 2024, when there was no direct treatment relationship.

Starting in early 2024, the patient had been repeatedly admitted to the emergency department of the hospital after several self-harm incidents and attempts to end her own life. Overnight on April 13, 2024, the patient left her room alone and died after jumping off a 4^th-floor parking garage. The hospital launched an investigation and has implemented new security protocols, including suicide risk screening for all patients.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center is being sued by the child’s parents for alleged negligence and medical malpractice, as while she was being monitored round the clock by a sitter assigned to her room and via video surveillance, those measures were removed on April 13, 2024, according to the lawsuit. The Washington Department of Health launched an investigation, which is ongoing, and has identified deficiencies that Providence Sacred Heart is addressing.

Fifteen nurses have now been terminated in connection with the incident, and another has been disciplined. Under HIPAA, medical records can generally only be accessed for reasons related to treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. Accessing medical records out of curiosity, even with no malicious intent, is a HIPAA violation. Staff members found to have violated HIPAA face sanctions, which for unauthorized medical record access is often termination.

According to a statement provided to The Spokesman-Review, the terminations were all for patient privacy violations, in accordance with the hospital’s sanctions policy. “Providence takes violations of our code of conduct and federal privacy laws that govern private health information very seriously,” said Providence Sacred Heart spokesperson, Jen York. “We review employee conduct and take appropriate action, including termination of employment, where warranted. Patient privacy is one of our top priorities.”

The Washington State Nurses Association was contacted by the nurses and has filed grievances over the terminations and disciplinary action. “Any information accessed pertained directly to the nurses’ duties responding to this crisis,” said WSNA director David Keepnews. “We reject Providence Sacred Heart’s claims that privacy was violated by nurses who were doing their jobs to assist in efforts to save the life of a 12-year-old girl in the hospital’s care.”

The nurses and WSNA suggest that the terminations and disciplinary action were an act of retaliation for speaking with the media. The hospital allegedly conducted an audit of access logs after the publication of a story by InvestigateWest about the suicide. The story included quotes from anonymous sources at the hospital. The nurses claim they were asked if they had spoken to the media and were subsequently fired.

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