Womble Bond Dickinson Presents “Continuing the HIPAA Conversation with OCR: What would you like to ask an OCR investigator?”

ATLANTA—On Friday, March 16, Womble Bond Dickinson will present an interactive dialogue with Alison Fuller, Investigator for the US Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, Southeast Region. Attorneys Jill Girardeau and Laramie Paras will facilitate the discussion.

At OCR, Fuller’s investigative caseload focuses on HIPAA complaints and breach investigations, including ransomware attacks and complex breaches by business associates.

As of December 2017:

• OCR has received over 170,000 HIPAA complaints;
• OCR has approximately 4,000 open cases; and
• HIPAA settlements and civil monetary penalties have totaled over $75 million.

The discussion takes place in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Atlanta office and will be streamed to the firm’s other offices. The event starts at 9 a.m. and includes both breakfast and lunch.

Jill Girardeau’s practice focuses on representing healthcare providers in a wide range of regulatory issues, including HIPAA privacy and security compliance, “meaningful use” of electronic health records, and compliance with the federal Stark and anti-kickback laws.

Laramie Paras advises hospitals, healthcare systems, and other providers on issues involving HIPAA Privacy and Security as well as the federal fraud and abuse laws. Prior to joining Womble Bond Dickinson, she was a physical therapist for over 10 years.