Parkview to pay $800,000 records fine

Parkview Health System Inc. has agreed to pay an $800,000 fine to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights to settle potential HIPAA violations related to medical records. The agency Monday said it opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from a retiring physician alleging Parkview violated the HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – privacy rule. In June 2009, the department said, 71 cardboard boxes of medical records containing data from up to 8,000 patients were left unattended and accessible in the driveway of Dr. Christine Hamilton, who was not home at the time.