The Office for Civil Rights

Navigate to the on the Office for Civil Rights website and review the list of breaches of unsecured protected health information, discuss the following:
The states where the breaches occurred
The covered entity types
The number of individuals affected in each breach
The month and year when the breaches were reported
The type of breach
The location of breached information

Full Answer Section

   
  • Number of Individuals Affected: The number of individuals whose protected health information (PHI) was potentially compromised will be listed.
  • Month and Year Reported: The date the breach was reported to the OCR should be included.
  • Type of Breach: It might specify the nature of the breach, such as hacking/IT incident, theft, loss, unauthorized access/disclosure, or improper disposal.
  • Location of Breached Information: This may indicate where the breached information was stored, like paper files, network server, laptop, etc.
Important Note:
  • The information displayed only reflects breaches from the past 24 months.
  • For a more comprehensive dataset, you can check the OCR's annual reports to Congress on breaches of unsecured PHI. These reports summarize data on a yearly basis and might be available on the OCR website or through a web search.
By reviewing the information on the OCR Breach Portal and potentially the annual reports, you can gain valuable insights into the types of breaches, affected entities, and locations of compromised PHI.      

Sample Answer

     
  1. Go to the OCR Breach Portal: https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/

  2. This page displays breaches reported within the last 24 months that are currently under investigation.

Reviewing the Information:

While navigating the portal, you can find details about each breach, including:

  • State: Look for a state abbreviation or a state name within the breach description.
  • Covered Entity Type: This could be a healthcare provider, health plan, or business associate (e.g., hospital, insurance company, billing service).