State and Federal Governments ease regulatory enforcement to expand access to telehealth. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ohio and federal officials have recently taken two dramatic actions to greatly increase the public’s access to medical and mental healthcare via “telehealth.” This article will focus on mental healthcare providers; however, the subject actions apply equally… Read More
HIPAA
Guidance from HHS to First Responders Related to COVID-19
The Office for Civil Rights, which is the HIPAA enforcement arm of U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), issued guidance today on how entities subject to HIPAA (covered entities) may disclose protected health information (PHI) about an individual who has been exposed to COVID-19 to law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders, and public… Read More
A Holiday Message from Ickes \ Holt
ICKES\ HOLT would like to wish all of our clients, colleagues, friends, and social media contacts a Merry Christmas and happy and healthy holiday season. 2017 has been a challenging and rewarding year for ICKES\ HOLT. We moved into new offices, obtained new clients, made new friends, and developed new practice areas. Our vision for… Read More
Ickes\Holt Featured Speakers at All Ohio Counselor’s Conference
On November 10, 2017, ICKES\HOLT had the pleasure to present a seminar at the All Ohio Counselor’s Conference (“AOCC”) in Columbus. From their website: Supported by the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) and the Ohio School Counselors Association (OSCA), the All Ohio Counselors Conference is the leading professional development conference in the state of Ohio for… Read More
REGARDING PRIVACY OHIO SETS A HIGH BAR FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Over the last few years, agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission have fostered a movement to encourage industry to implement the concept of privacy-by-design. The idea behind privacy-by-design is that when developing new software, hardware, medical-devices or other such products that extract personal information, such as personally identifiable information (PII), health care information, geo-tracking… Read More
Cybersecurity in America’s Dairyland
On November 7, 2016, ICKESHOLT attorneys Jim Ickes and Joel Holt journeyed to Joel’s home-state of Wisconsin to record a webinar for the National Business Institute (http://www.nbi-sems.com/Home.aspx) entitled: “Cybersecurity: the Ultimate Guide.” Suffice it to say, the name and scope of the seminar presented quite a challenge. However, while neither Jim nor Joel would willingly label… Read More
Encryption Prescription
A recent study[i] by the Chicago based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) found that a significant number of hospitals and “non-acute providers”[ii] are not encrypting data in transit or at rest (the “HIMSS Study”).[iii]
THE ADA’s Dental Debacle
By: Joel A. Holt, Esq., CIPP/US Talk about the ever changing world of information security and data privacy. Literally, something new, interesting, or terrible occurs daily. The latest giant balloon in the “parade of horribles” is the American Dental Association (“ADA”) providing its members with a free, electronic copy of the 2016 Dental Procedure… Read More
Internet of Things Institute: Day One Takeaways
Day 1 of the ABA Internet of Things Institute: So, come to find out, the Internet of Things (“IoT”) is not the precursor to SkyNet or a rampant abuse of power by Big Brother. It is fascinating, and yes, slightly frightening. The simple fact is, the IoT is just like any other rapid advance in… Read More
Hungry, Hungry HIPAA
One recent case that didn’t get much attention, but should have, clarifies Ohio health care providers’ potential exposure for the unauthorized disclosure of patient health information (“PHI”). On August 14, 2015, the Second District Court of Appeals decided Sheldon v. Kettering Health Network. [i] In Sheldon, the Second District addressed patients’ rights related to the… Read More