Health System Agrees to Settlement and Corrective Action in Medical Records Dumping Case

A healthcare system based in Indiana and Ohio has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle allegations that it violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 privacy rule by dumping patient medical records, states a June 23, 2014, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) press release. According to the press release, the healthcare system had taken possession of approximately 5,000 to 8,000 medical records from a retiring physician while considering the possibility of purchasing some of the physician's practice and assisting her in transitioning her patients to new providers.