Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1468176
38 CIO / HEALTH IT Don't respond to that patient review; it might be a HIPAA violation, report says By Georgina Gonzalez W hen responding to online patient reviews, some healthcare pro- viders are taking defending their reputation too far, and are violating HIPAA laws, The Verge reported April 1. One North Carolina-based dentist was fined $50,000 by HHS after he responded to a negative Google review. In the response, the dentist used the full name of the patient, described in detail their medical condition and then wrote, "Does he deserve any rating as a patient? Not even one star." This is not a rare occurrence though, with many frustrated medical professionals turn- ing to their keyboards to defend their ser- vices against angry patients. Some health- care workers have even posted about their patients' diagnoses, habits and lifestyles publicly, according to a ProPublica report. Given that much of the information shared online by frustrated healthcare professionals about patients isn't given consensually, it is a violation of HIPAA laws, and can be fined as such.n Mass General Brigham funds EHR for local health centers By Naomi Diaz B oston-based Mass General Brigham awarded Sa- lem, Mass.-based North Shore Community Health a $150,000 grant to support the implementation of a new EHR system, the health system said April 5. North Shore Community Health is a network of family health centers that offer primary care, behavioral health, dental, lab services and other comprehensive care. The centers serve more than 13,000 patients at three commu- nity sites and seven school-based sites. The funding is part of a larger, $500,000 commitment from Mass General Brigham to North Shore Communi- ty Health, with the remaining investment going toward a walk-in urgent care clinic at Peabody (Mass.) Fami- ly Health Center, a part of the North Shore Community Health network. "We are grateful to Mass General Brigham for their com- mitment to supporting community providers like North Shore Community Health. This grant will allow us to bet- ter support our patients through better communication leading to improved health outcomes," said Margaret Brennan, president and CEO of North Shore Community Health. "We look forward to an ongoing partnership with Mass General Brigham." n Patients suing hospitals over data breaches at faster rate By Katie Adams L awsuits fi led against hospitals following data breach- es are on the rise, according to a report released April 7 by law fi rm BakerHostetler. BakerHostetler analyzed more than 1,270 data security incidents from 2021 that it helped clients manage. The data breaches occurred in a variety of industries, but healthcare was the most affected, making up 23 percent. BakerHostetler's research team found that 23 of the in- cidents resulted in more than 58 lawsuits. Forty-three of those lawsuits were fi led against healthcare organizations. "Now we are seeing multiple lawsuits following an incident notifi cation in the same federal forum. Or, in the alterna- tive, we see a handful of cases in one federal forum and another handful of cases in a state venue," the report said. "This duplicative litigation trend is increasing the 'race to the courthouse' fi lings and increasing the initial litigation defense costs and the ultimate cost of settlement, due to the number of plaintiffs' attorneys involved." n