2026 HIPAA Update

1 CE Credit | PACE Subject Code: 566

Dental practices face increasing risks from HIPAA violations and cybersecurity breaches, with regulatory penalties and data security threats continuing to rise. This course examines current HIPAA requirements, common compliance gaps, and the importance of conducting regular internal audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities. Participants will learn practical strategies to strengthen compliance programs, protect patient information, and reduce the risk of regulatory enforcement and cybersecurity incidents.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the current regulatory status of the HIPAA Security Rule overhaul — Attendees will be able to explain where the proposed rule stands in the rulemaking process (NPRM published, comment period closed, no final rule yet issued) and recognize that the existing Security Rule remains fully enforceable regardless of the proposal's fate.
2. Identify the key substantive changes proposed under the new rule — Attendees will be able to describe the shift from "addressable" to "required" safeguards and list the major new mandates (encryption everywhere, mandatory MFA, asset inventory/network mapping, network segmentation, annual risk analysis, recurring penetration testing, 72-hour incident response, and one-hour access revocation).
3. Assess their practice's financial and compliance exposure — Attendees will be able to explain the increased civil monetary penalty tiers (up to $2,190,294 per violation), the estimated sector-wide compliance costs, and the broader risks beyond fines (criminal exposure, state AG actions, breach response costs, and reputational harm).
4. Take practical, actionable compliance steps today — Attendees will leave with a concrete checklist (updating risk analyses, encrypting ePHI, implementing MFA, verifying business associate agreements, testing backup/incident response plans, and training staff) they can implement now, independent of whether or when a final rule is issued.
5. Apply cybersecurity fundamentals and penetration testing to reduce breach risk — Attendees will be able to describe core employee training topics (phishing recognition, password hygiene, secure file sharing) and explain the role, types, and value of penetration testing in maintaining an audit-ready, ongoing security program.

Speaker: Stuart J. Oberman

Stuart J. Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 30 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company.

Mr. Oberman is highly regarded on a national basis in the area of healthcare law, which includes DSO formation, corporate business structures, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, advertising regulations, HIPAA, Compliance, and employment law regulations that affect healthcare practices. In addition, Mr. Oberman’s expertise in the healthcare industry includes representing and advising clients regarding administrative/regulatory compliance matters that involve licensure applications, disciplinary investigations, Board complaints, credentialing and peer review, Medicare/Medicaid fraud and recoupment investigations, as well as State and Federal regulatory compliance investigations involving healthcare fraud and abuse law (Anti-Kickback Statute and the State Law), and risk management.

Mr. Oberman is a national lecturer and has published articles in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Mr. Oberman is a recipient of the Martindale-Hubbell Client Distinction Award, which is based on client review ratings in the categories of communications ability, responsiveness, and quality of service. Less than 1% of the 900,000+ attorneys listed on martindale.com and lawyers.com have been accorded this honor of distinction. In addition, Mr. Oberman has been the recipient of the Lawyers of Distinction Award for the last two (2) years.

Conflict of Interest: None Reported