Department of Health & Human Services – Office of Civil Rights Enters Settlement with Dental Group

On December 14, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Service – Office of Civil Rights entered a settlement with a dental group for responding to negative online reviews with Protected Health Information (PHI). New Vision Dental agreed to pay $23,000 and entered into a corrective action plan with 2 years of monitoring. Providers should not respond to social media/review posts online without consulting with counsel before doing so. There may be other, less risky, alternatives. In the vast majority of cases, an online response is likely not worth the risk, as each PHI violation gives rise to a $50,000 fine.