Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1003496
68 CIO / HEALTH IT OCR considers compensating victims of healthcare breaches: 4 things to know By Jessica Kim Cohen T he HHS' Office for Civil Rights is considering a policy initiative to financially compensate victims of healthcare breaches, OCR Director Roger Sev- erino said during a HIPAA summit presentation in Ar- lington, Va., March 27, BankInfoSecurity reported. Here are four things to know about the potential change in HIPAA policy. 1. Under the Health Information Technology for Eco- nomic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, funds OCR receives through HIPAA breach settlements and civil monetary penalties may be earmarked to supplement the agency's enforcement activities or distributed among the victims of HIPAA breaches and violations. 2. e OCR has never distributed funds to breach vic- tims, according to BankInfoSecurity. However, Mr. Severino said he is interested in assessing a pathway to compensate victims with a percentage of the funds the agency collects. "A lot of breaches do end up causing significant stress, trauma and anxiety to people," he said. "OCR is inter- ested in hearing from industry advocates and patients about what would be the proper approach for … creat- ing a system through regulation in providing compen- sation to those hurt by breaches and HIPAA violations." 3. However, there are drawbacks to distributing settle- ment and penalty funds among breach victims. Susan Lucci, privacy officer and senior consultant at the con- sultancy Just Associates, told BankInfoSecurity these fines are designed to help OCR fund its own audit and investigative functions. "e amount of money that might be available for dis- tribution to individuals might be so low in cases of large breaches, that it could be perceived as grossly inade- quate, and individuals might even be insulted by a small dollar award," she added. 4. To gauge feedback from the general public and in- dustry experts, the OCR plans to release a request for information on how the agency would distribute funds it receives from HIPAA settlements and civil monetary penalties to breach victims. Mr. Severino did not specify a timeframe for the request for information. n Lancaster General Health partners with private equity firm to launch $300M precision medicine fund By Jessica Kim Cohen P enn Medicine's Lancaster (Pa.) General Health and private equi- ty firm and venture company Aspire Universal will collaborate as general partners on a $300 million precision medicine fund that the organizations launched April 24. The fund, dubbed the Aspire Ventures Precision Medicine Fund, will invest in devices and therapies that apply artificial intelligence and internet of things capabilities to drive personalized healthcare. The goal of the fund is to accelerate the time-to-market for various emerging healthcare solutions. Together, Lancaster General Health and Aspire Universal will offer re- sources related to data analytics and clinical expertise to "fast-track" ventures through clinical trials and FDA approval, according to an As- pire Universal statement. One component of the collaboration involves the Smart Health Inno- vation Lab, a joint venture between Lancaster General Health, Aspire Universal and insurer Capital Blue Cross. Eight startups will undergo a 12-week certification process at the lab each year to accelerate pilot deployments and insurance reimbursement. "The overwhelming majority of healthcare investments fail because they are designed in isolation from the health systems that use them," Essam Abadir, fund manager of Aspire Ventures Precision Medicine Fund and managing partner of Aspire Universal, said in an April 24 statement. "As a result, they are extremely capital intensive and take a very long time to go through [research and development], the FDA and gain market traction." n VA rolls out telehealth program to address PTSD in veterans By Jessica Kim Cohen T he U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched a pilot program to provide veterans suffering from PTSD with remote access to mental health services, the agency wrote in an April 5 blog post. To date, more than 500 rural veterans have enrolled in the pilot pro- gram, dubbed Telemedicine Outreach for PTSD. The program targets veterans living in rural areas who might otherwise have had to travel to an urban area to receive medical care. VA medical centers tend to be in urban locations, the blog post notes. Veterans enrolled in TOP receive psychotherapy and related services in their own homes and in VA community-based outpatient clinics. VA psychiatrists and psychologists conduct appointments with these patients via phone or video. "We're excited to see this initiative help more patients live happier, healthier lives, and we aim to lay the foundation for the national im- plementation of TOP," the blog post reads. n