by Ann F. Triebsch

Friday, March 1, is the deadline for HIPAA covered entities to report to HHS small breaches of unsecured protected health information that occurred in 2012.  A small breach includes less than 500 individuals.  Affected individuals must be notified within 60 days of the breach’s discovery, but the breach also must be reported to HHS within 60 days of the close of that calendar year, or by March 1of the following year.  To file a report, follow this link.