I've seen it cost people their job. Many companies don't have the technical know how, and don't understand how to protect things. Many think things are protected and don't know that they should be asking people for additional help.
In general if a person reveals your information, it is the fault of the individual and it can result in them paying fines, not the organization. HIPAA is more intended to keep people from talking. > -----Original Message----- > From: Gruss Gott [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 2:50 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: HIPAA Has No Teeth > > Interesting ... > > HIPAA has no teeth > > Even though over 19,420 HIPAA complaints/violations have been > officially lodged since HIPAA went into effect, it has resulted in > zero fines. > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- > dyn/content/article/2006/06/04/AR2006060400672.html > > This is amazing, but unfortunately, not surprising. Other than two > criminal prosecutions on specific individuals, there appears to be no > penalties for organizations violating the HIPPA Act. Like the > non-successfully prosecutions of SOX violators, it tells corporate > America that it's cheaper to not meet the guidelines. > > If you add in the fact that only three companies were fined in 2004 > for hiring illegal immigrants > http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/10/dobbs.enforcement/index.html (even > though they make up 12 million of our work force), it makes you wonder > why we even bother going through with making our various "security" > laws? > > It's as if Congress passes our financial, security, and privacy laws > to make consumers happy, but then behind the scenes promise business > that they really won't prosecute violators...so everyone "wins"! > > What is frustrating is that with non-enforcement of existing laws it > is hard to place the blame on the correct agency. We can't blame > Congress since they actually passed the law (unless they under funded > the compliance checking). We probably can't blame the enforcers > because they are just doing what they are told from their superiors > above. So, who gets the blame? All of them?? Us, for putting up with > it? > > If I was the CIO at one our nation's hospitals, I might actually > decrease my HIPAA compliance budget this year. If it's a law without > any teeth, why waste the funds when there are so many other competing > objectives? > Posted by Roger Grimes on June 5, 2006 05:33 AM > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:208134 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
