OCR Imposes a $1.6 Million Civil Money Penalty against Texas Health and Human Services Commission for HIPAA Violations

TX HHSC is part of the Texas HHS system, which operates state supported living centers; provides mental health and substance use services; regulates child care and nursing facilities; and administers hundreds of programs for people who need assistance, including supplemental nutrition benefits and Medicaid.

On June 11, 2015, DADS filed a breach report with OCR stating that the electronic protected health information of 6,617 individuals was viewable over the internet, including names, addresses, social security numbers, and treatment information. The breach occurred when an internal application was moved from a private, secure server to a public server and a flaw in the software code allowed access to ePHI without access credentials.

"Covered entities need to know who can access protected health information in their custody at all times," said OCR Director Roger Severino."No one should have to worry about their private health information being discoverable through a Google search."

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