The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has been vigorously enforcing patients’ right to access their medical records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
[1] According to an October 9 notice, the OCR has settled nine such investigations in its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative.
[2]
In a blog post
[3] put together by Waller law firm professionals, the initiative is discussed alongside other rules affecting an individual’s right to access their records, specifically the 21
st Century Cures Act’s interoperability and information-blocking rules:
“Under these Rules, a patient’s request for records (as well as others) must be provided in compliance with the Information Blocking Rule requirements or the Health IT developer and healthcare providers risk enforcement…[or potentially be subject to] penalties of up to $1 million per violation.”
They're calling on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to speed up distribution by releasing reserved shots, while the American Hospital Association chided the feds for its hands-off approach to the rollout.
Former Indian Health Services doctor sentenced for drug kickback scheme while at Blackfeet Indian Reservation
By: MTN News
and last updated 2021-01-07 18:03:10-05
GREAT FALLS â Dr. Arnold Scott Devous, a former Indian Health Services doctor who worked on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and admitted using his job to prescribe a diabetes drug from a pharmacy in exchange for kickbacks, was sentenced on Thursday in federal court in Great Falls.
Devous, 68 years old, pleaded guilty on September 10th to federal medical officer with conflict of interest.
In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that Devous used his position at IHS as a medical officer and in charge of the diabetes program in Browning to prescribe Farxiga, a Type 2 diabetes medication. Farxiga was not on the IHS formulary and could not be obtained at the facility. From December 2015 until June 2016, Devous solicited multiple pharmacies in Montana to fill expensive prescriptions
Former Indian Health Services doctor sentenced for drug kickback scheme on Blackfeet Indian Reservation
By: MTN News
and last updated 2021-01-08 09:52:07-05
GREAT FALLS â Dr. Arnold Scott Devous, a former Indian Health Services doctor who worked on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and admitted using his job to prescribe a diabetes drug from a pharmacy in exchange for kickbacks, was sentenced on Thursday in federal court in Great Falls.
Devous, 68, pleaded guilty on Sept. 10 to federal medical officer with conflict of interest.
In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that Devous used his position at IHS as a medical officer and in charge of the diabetes program in Browning to prescribe Farxiga, a Type 2 diabetes medication. Farxiga was not on the IHS formulary and could not be obtained at the facility. From December 2015 until June 2016, Devous solicited multiple pharmacies in Montana to fill expensive prescriptions of Farxiga in exchange
As the COVID-19 vaccine is administered across Pennsylvania, state health officials are working to temper expectations among residents eager to be inoculated as soon as possible.