Implements HITECH Act privacy and security requirements including breach notification expansion, four-tier penalty structure, state attorney general enforcement authority, EHR meaningful use privacy conditions, and business associate direct liability. Keywords: HITECH Act, breach notification, penalty tiers, state AG enforcement, meaningful use, EHR privacy.
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name
hitech-act-privacy
title
HITECH Act Privacy and Security Requirements
description
Implements HITECH Act privacy and security requirements including breach notification expansion, four-tier penalty structure, state attorney general enforcement authority, EHR meaningful use privacy conditions, and business associate direct liability. Keywords: HITECH Act, breach notification, penalty tiers, state AG enforcement, meaningful use, EHR privacy.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was enacted as Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5). HITECH fundamentally transformed HIPAA enforcement by establishing breach notification requirements, creating a four-tier penalty structure with significantly increased penalties, granting enforcement authority to state attorneys general, extending HIPAA Security Rule requirements directly to business associates, and tying privacy and security compliance to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) meaningful use incentive program. The 2013 Omnibus Rule (78 FR 5566) implemented most HITECH provisions into the HIPAA regulatory framework.
Breach Notification — HITECH §13402
Establishment of Federal Healthcare Breach Notification
Prior to HITECH, HIPAA had no breach notification requirement. HITECH §13402 created the obligation for covered entities and business associates to notify individuals, HHS, and in some cases the media, following a breach of unsecured PHI.
Key provisions enacted by HITECH:
Provision
HITECH Section
Implementation
Individual notification within 60 days
§13402(a)
Codified at 45 CFR §164.404
HHS notification for breaches of 500+ immediately; under 500 annually
§13402(e)(1)-(3)
Codified at 45 CFR §164.408
Media notification for 500+ in a state/jurisdiction
§13402(e)(2)
Codified at 45 CFR §164.406
State AG notification for 500+ in a state
§13402(e)(3)
45 CFR §164.408(c)
BA obligation to notify CE
§13402(b)
Codified at 45 CFR §164.410
Unsecured PHI definition and safe harbor for encryption/destruction
§13402(h)
HHS guidance at 74 FR 19006
Evolution of the Breach Standard
HITECH originally used a "harm standard" — notification was required only if there was a significant risk of financial, reputational, or other harm. The 2013 Omnibus Rule replaced this with the "low probability of compromise" standard under the four-factor risk assessment (§164.402(2)), which is more protective of individuals. Under this standard, an impermissible use or disclosure is presumed to be a breach unless the entity demonstrates low probability of compromise.
Penalty Structure — HITECH §13410
Four-Tier Civil Monetary Penalty Framework
HITECH §13410(d) replaced the single-tier HIPAA penalty structure with a graduated system based on culpability:
Tier
Culpability Level
Per Violation (2024 adjusted)
Annual Cap (2024 adjusted)
Correction Possible
A
Did not know and would not have known by exercising reasonable diligence
$137 – $68,928
$2,067,813
Must correct within 30 days
B
Reasonable cause (not willful neglect)
$1,379 – $68,928
$2,067,813
Must correct within 30 days
C
Willful neglect — timely corrected
$13,785 – $68,928
$2,067,813
Corrected within 30 days of knowledge
D
Willful neglect — not timely corrected
$68,928 – $2,067,813
$2,067,813
Investigation/penalty mandatory
Penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.
Criminal Penalties
HITECH preserved and enhanced criminal penalties under 42 USC §1320d-6:
Tier
Conduct
Maximum Penalty
1
Knowingly obtaining or disclosing PHI
Up to $50,000 fine and 1 year imprisonment
2
Offenses committed under false pretenses
Up to $100,000 fine and 5 years imprisonment
3
Offenses with intent to sell, transfer, or use for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm
Up to $250,000 fine and 10 years imprisonment
Percentage of CMPs and Settlements to Affected Individuals — §13410(c)(2)
HITECH §13410(c)(2) directed HHS to establish methods for distributing a percentage of CMPs and settlement amounts to individuals harmed by HIPAA violations. HHS has not yet issued final regulations implementing this provision, but OCR has included equitable relief provisions in certain settlement agreements.
State Attorney General Enforcement — HITECH §13410(e)
Authority Granted
HITECH §13410(e) authorized state attorneys general to bring civil actions in federal district court on behalf of state residents who may have been affected by HIPAA violations. This was a significant expansion — previously only HHS/OCR could enforce HIPAA.
Requirements for State AG Actions
Requirement
Detail
Prior notice to HHS
State AG must provide notice to the Secretary of HHS before filing suit
HHS intervention right
HHS may intervene and assume primary responsibility for the action
No action during pending HHS action
State AG may not bring action during a pending HHS action against the same entity for the same violation
Remedies available
Injunctive relief, damages (up to $100 per violation, $25,000 per calendar year per identical violation), attorneys' fees
State AG Enforcement Precedents
State
Year
Entity
Outcome
Connecticut
2010
Health Net of Connecticut
$250,000 settlement — first state AG action under HITECH; loss of unencrypted hard drive with PHI of 1.5 million individuals
Minnesota
2011
Accretive Health
$2.5 million settlement — unauthorized access to PHI; failure to have BAA
Indiana
2014
WellPoint (Anthem)
$1.9 million penalty — application vulnerability exposing ePHI of 612,402 individuals; state AG used HITECH authority alongside state law
New York
2021
EyeMed Vision Care
$600,000 settlement — email phishing breach exposing PHI of 2.1 million; state AG cited HITECH and state consumer protection
New Jersey
2019
Virtua Medical Group
$418,000 settlement — disclosure of PHI to vendor without BAA
Business Associate Direct Liability — HITECH §13401
Pre-HITECH vs Post-HITECH
Aspect
Pre-HITECH
Post-HITECH (§13401)
Security Rule compliance
Contractual obligation through BAA only; no direct regulatory liability
BAs directly subject to Security Rule; enforceable by OCR and state AGs
Privacy Rule
BAs bound only by BAA terms
BAs directly liable for impermissible uses/disclosures; subject to minimum necessary
Penalties
Only covered entities subject to HIPAA penalties; BAs subject only to breach of contract
BAs subject to same civil and criminal penalties as covered entities
Subcontractors
No regulatory requirements
Subcontractors treated as BAs; must have BAAs in place
Impact on Asclepius Health Network
Asclepius Health Network manages 47 business associate relationships. Post-HITECH, each BA must:
Independently comply with all Security Rule administrative, physical, and technical safeguards
Report breaches to Asclepius within 5 business days per the BAA
Demonstrate compliance through annual security assessments
Flow down BAA requirements to their subcontractors
EHR Meaningful Use Privacy Conditions — HITECH §13401(b)
Privacy and Security as Prerequisites for Incentive Payments
HITECH created the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs (now known as Promoting Interoperability) with total payments exceeding $38 billion. Privacy and security compliance is a prerequisite for receiving incentive payments:
Meaningful Use Stage
Privacy/Security Requirements
Stage 1 (2011-2013)
Conduct or review a security risk analysis; implement security updates; correct identified security deficiencies
Stage 2 (2014-2016)
All Stage 1 requirements plus: address encryption/security of data at rest; enable patient electronic access to health information
Stage 3 / Promoting Interoperability (2017+)
Security risk analysis; patient electronic access; secure messaging; API access; ONC Health IT Certification privacy and security criteria
Privacy Requirements in Health IT Certification
ONC Health IT Certification Criteria (45 CFR Part 170) require certified EHR technology to support:
Authentication, access control, and authorization
Auditable events and tamper-resistance
Automatic access time-out
Emergency access
End-user device encryption
Integrity verification
Accounting of disclosures
Amendments to health information
Consent management (including segmentation for Part 2 and state-specific restrictions)
Asclepius Health Network uses ONC-certified Epic EHR and verifies that each software version maintains certification for privacy and security criteria. The Promoting Interoperability dashboard tracks privacy measure compliance for CMS attestation.
Accounting of Disclosures Expansion — HITECH §13405(c)
HITECH Expansion
HITECH §13405(c) expanded the right to an accounting of disclosures to include disclosures through an electronic health record for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations (previously excluded under HIPAA §164.528). The accounting period was set at 3 years (rather than HIPAA's 6 years) for EHR disclosures.
Status: HHS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in 2011 (76 FR 31426) proposing an "access report" approach but withdrew the NPRM and has not issued a final rule. The HITECH provision is self-executing in the statute but implementation guidance remains pending.
Restrictions on Sale of PHI — HITECH §13405(d)
HITECH §13405(d) prohibits a covered entity or business associate from receiving direct or indirect remuneration in exchange for PHI without a valid authorization from the individual that states whether the PHI can be further exchanged for remuneration.
Exceptions
Exception
Description
Public health
Disclosures for public health activities under §164.512(b)
Research
Reasonable cost-based fee for preparing and transmitting PHI for research
Treatment and payment
Normal treatment and payment activities
Transfer of business
Sale, transfer, merger of covered entity
BA services
Remuneration is for services BA provides on behalf of CE
Individual request
Individual requests own PHI
HHS-determined exceptions
Other purposes determined by HHS through regulation
Minimum Necessary Enhancement — HITECH §13405(b)
HITECH directed HHS to issue guidance making the minimum necessary standard more specific:
Until HHS issues guidance, the limited dataset standard (§164.514(e)) is the floor for minimum necessary when PHI is in electronic form and a limited dataset would accomplish the purpose
HHS has not issued the final rule, but the provision is self-executing to the extent described
Enforcement Milestones Under HITECH
Year
Action
Significance
2009
HITECH enacted
Four-tier penalties, breach notification, BA liability, state AG enforcement
2010
Interim Final Breach Notification Rule
Initial implementation of breach notification with harm standard
2011
First resolution agreement post-HITECH (Cignet Health, $4.3M)
Demonstrated willingness to impose significant penalties
2013
Omnibus Rule
Comprehensive implementation of HITECH provisions into HIPAA regulations
2016
Advocate Medical Group ($5.55M)
Largest fine at the time; multiple breaches involving unencrypted devices
2018
Anthem ($16M)
Largest HIPAA settlement; demonstrated HITECH penalty levels for major breaches
2020-2024
Annual penalty adjustments
Inflation-adjusted penalties increasing annually
Integration Points
hipaa-breach-notify: HITECH created the breach notification framework implemented in the Breach Notification Rule
hipaa-privacy-rule: HITECH strengthened Privacy Rule provisions including restrictions on sale of PHI and minimum necessary
hipaa-security-rule: HITECH extended Security Rule directly to business associates
hipaa-baa-management: HITECH created BA direct liability and subcontractor requirements
hipaa-risk-analysis: Risk analysis is a prerequisite for EHR meaningful use/Promoting Interoperability attestation
