Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic (ROC) of North Carolina is paying for its violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule, for allegedly sharing private and protected patient information with a potential business partner. $750,000, to be exact.
The Office of Civil Rights (a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) revealed in its investigation that ROC released not only the protected information of 17,300 patients, but X-ray films, as well. This personal information was given to a company that was slated to turn X-ray images into electronic media in exchange for the silver that was procured from the X-ray film. The transaction would not have been a HIPAA breach had there been a business associate agreement between the companies before they handed over the X-rays and the private information.
The Office of Civil Rights, in addition to paying out a quarter of a million dollars, has agreed to a Corrective Action Plan that includes implementing employee training and guidelines that help to ensure that HIPAA policies are followed ROC in the future.
You can view the full Corrective Action Plan here.
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CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group
Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent 20+ years professionally at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential issued by the Cyber AB and leads Petronella as a CMMC-AB Registered Provider Organization (RPO #1449). Craig is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE) and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. He also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.
He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.
Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served hundreds of regulated SMB clients across NC and the southeast since 2002, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.