Group slapped with $6.8M HIPAA fine

Triple-S Management Corp., an insurance holding company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been fined $6.8 million for mishandling the medical records of 70,000 individuals. The company sent letters to Medicare Advantage patients with visible Medicare numbers, resulting in the breach. This is the second major HIPAA breach for Triple-S, which currently handles benefits for 2.2 million people. Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance Administration issued the fines, and federal investigations are still ongoing. Since 2008, Puerto Rico has been responsible for breaching the medical records of nearly 699,000 individuals. Nationwide, 29.3 million individuals have been affected by a HIPAA breach.