Almost all healthcare providers and health plan administrators
are familiar with the detailed requirements of the privacy and
security rules under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA). Violations can result in significant
monetary penalties. But HIPAA violations can also result in
criminal charges. And the frequency of alleged criminal violations
appears to be increasing.
In August 2014, Joshua Hippler, a former hospital employee in
East Texas, pled guilty to criminal HIPAA violations after he was
indicted on charges of wrongful disclosure of individually
identifiable health information. Hippler faces up to 10 years in
federal prison.
In the ever-expanding digital world, more and more healthcare
providers have moved away from paper records in favor of electronic
medical records. Many in the healthcare industry predict that this
shift will propel more criminal prosecutions as the digital age
makes accessing patient information as easy as
