Houston partner Robert Wolin authored an article for the February 26, 2010, edition of the Houston Business Journal's special "Health Care" section, "Economy, Regulations Having Impact on Today's Health Care Industry."
Wolin's article addressees whether or not, in the push toward technology, laws will change to help protect patient privacy. According to Wolin, "Recent changes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and other identity theft and privacy laws are dramatically changing the landscape of providers' privacy and security obligations . . . providers must respond to the new changes with proactive and practical solutions to ensure they maintain the privacy of their patients' data at a reasonable cost."
Wolin concludes: "Health care providers must vigilantly monitor the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and state agencies for further changes. Compliance with up-to-date comprehensive identify theft and privacy policies will help providers avoid liability for potentially serious fines and penalties."