Three Dental Practices Face Federal Action Regarding Access to Patient Records

The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has cited three dental practices—located in Illinois, Georgia, and Nevada—for failing to comply with the patient right of access rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The rule states that patients have a right to access their own health records within 30 days of making a request. The fines for breaking this rule were set at $30,000, $80,000, and $25,000. All of the practices took at least 5 months to respond to requests for patient records, and one practice charged a $170 copying fee. Click here to read more.