On May 14, 2018, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed into law Public Act No. 18-91 “An Act Concerning the Office of Health Strategy” (PA 18-91), a bill that operationalizes the Office of Health Strategy (OHS), a new health oversight agency in Connecticut. OHS is a division of the Department of Public Health (DPH) “for administrative purposes only” that was provisionally established by the Connecticut General Assembly within the budget implementer bill passed in a special session in late 2017 and accorded responsibility for developing and implementing a health care vision for Connecticut, among other things. PA 18-91 operationalizes OHS by assigning responsibility for administration of Connecticut’s certificate of need (CON) process to a newly created unit within OHS that succeeds the Office of Health Care Access (OHCA), as well as by clarifying and increasing OHS’s statutory health oversight duties.

PA 18-91 took effect from passage on May 14, 2018, except as noted below.
Continue Reading Connecticut Legislature Operationalizes New Health Oversight Agency: The Office of Health Strategy

On February 16, 2017, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $5.5 million settlement with South Broward Hospital District d/b/a Memorial Healthcare System (Healthcare System), to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).  The Healthcare System is a nonprofit corporation that operates several hospitals, an urgent care center, a nursing home, and ancillary health care facilities throughout south Florida.  The Healthcare System is also affiliated with physician offices through an Organized Health Care Arrangement (OHCA).
Continue Reading $5.5 Million HIPAA Settlement Emphasizes Importance of Audit Controls of Access by OHCA Affiliates