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U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has introduced the Health Information Privacy Reform Act, which seeks to establish HIPAA-like privacy protections for consumer health data collected by devices such as smartwatches and health apps. The proposed legislation would require health technologies not currently covered by HIPAA or the HITECH Act to disclose how consumer information is collected and shared, aiming to address privacy concerns arising from the growing use of digital health tools.
The bill responds to the gap in existing regulations, as HIPAA only applies to a limited set of healthcare entities, leaving much of the data generated by modern consumer health technologies unprotected. If enacted, the law would ensure that Americans' health data is secured and only collected or used with their consent, reflecting the evolving landscape of healthcare data privacy and security.
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Senator Bill Cassidy introduced the Health Information Privacy Reform Act to extend HIPAA-like privacy protections to consumer health data collected by apps and devices not currently covered by HIPAA or HITECH. The bill would require disclosures about data collection and sharing and direct HHS, in consultation with the FTC, to develop privacy, security, and breach notification standards.
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Senator Ron Wyden has called on major electronic health record (EHR) vendors to implement stronger privacy controls that give patients greater authority over how their health information is shared and accessed. This initiative comes as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intensifies enforcement of regulations promoting interoperability and secure data exchange, including the 21st Century Cures Act's information blocking rule. Wyden emphasized the need to balance improved data-sharing for care coordination with robust privacy protections, contacting ten leading EHR vendors to advocate for product features that empower patient privacy. The senator's push highlights growing national security and privacy concerns as health data becomes increasingly accessible across digital platforms. Federal regulators are focusing on ensuring that the benefits of interoperability do not come at the expense of sensitive patient information, urging vendors to prioritize privacy in their technology roadmaps. The move signals heightened scrutiny of EHR systems and a shift toward more patient-centric data governance in the healthcare sector.
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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced the Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2025, which aims to enhance cybersecurity protections in the healthcare sector. The proposed legislation includes provisions for updating HIPAA privacy and security regulations, increasing cyber grant funding, expanding workforce training, and improving breach notification requirements. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to coordinate efforts to bolster the sector's cyber resilience, reflecting growing concern over the frequency and impact of healthcare data breaches. In parallel, healthcare organizations are reviewing their password management practices to ensure compliance with existing HIPAA Security Rule requirements. While HIPAA does not mandate specific password policies, it expects organizations to implement reasonable procedures for password creation, changes, and protection, as outlined in 45 CFR 164.308(a)(5)(ii)(D). Guidance from HHS and NIST, particularly NIST SP 800-66r2, provides technical recommendations for authentication management and credential safeguarding, underscoring the importance of robust password management in protecting protected health information (PHI).
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The US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (**HELP**) Committee advanced the bipartisan **Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act** by a 22–1 vote, proposing new baseline cybersecurity requirements for HIPAA-regulated entities. Reported measures include **multifactor authentication**, **data encryption**, **penetration testing**, and **regular security audits**, alongside changes to breach reporting such as requiring entities to report the number of individuals affected and directing HHS to publish post-breach corrective actions and recognized security practices used by the impacted organization. In parallel, HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (**ONC**) proposed reducing health IT certification criteria—cutting from 60 to 34 and modifying seven others—including criteria tied to **privacy and security controls**. Healthcare industry groups (including **CHIME** and the **American Hospital Association**) warned that removing longstanding certification requirements would shift privacy and security compliance burden from health IT developers (e.g., EHR and patient engagement tool vendors) to healthcare providers, potentially weakening standardized security expectations across certified health IT products.
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