The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is taking its role as HIPAA and HITECH enforcer to new levels with recent enforcement actions, an upcoming educational tour and a request for an additional $5.6 million in its 2012 budget, mostly to adhere to and enforce HIPAA compliance, reports Health Leaders Media. With the additional funds, the OCR plans to fill requirements to investigate breaches, hire regional privacy officers and establish a compliance review program, among other initiatives. An OCR spokesperson said, "OCR's 2012 Budget Justification highlights that while our workload has increased, we are working smarter and more strategically to fortify our enforcement activities across the board."
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