OCR Launching Initiative to Investigate Small Breaches of PHI

​Breaches of protected health information (PHI) affecting fewer than 500 individuals are the next focus for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the organization recently announced. OCR's regional offices already investigate all reports of breaches involving the PHI of 500 or more individuals; they will now conduct investigations on smaller breaches "as resources permit." Regional offices will have the option to prioritize which of the smaller breaches they investigate, OCR said, but all offices will increase their efforts to identify breaches and address what type of noncompliance was involved.