OCR Rolls Out HIPAA Training Plan for AGs

The training takes places at the following sites and dates:

• Dallas: April 4 and 5
• Atlanta: May 9 and 10
• Washington, DC (metro area): May 19 and 20
• San Francisco: June 13 and 14

Jeff Drummond, health law partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker, LLP, puts adding state attorneys general to the HIPAA enforcement mix this way: "There are 50 new sheriffs in town."

"Most state AGs are elected, and almost all of them do everything they can to get re-elected," says Drummond. "That means they'll be much more susceptible to public or political pressure to pursue HIPAA violations, particularly if there's a 'good story' behind the breach. They want to be seen as protecting the little guy, and they're much more incentivized" than OCR.