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Five Things That Owners and Boards Need to Know About Privacy and Cybersecurity Compliance

Client Alert

Do you serve on a Board of Directors or serve in a similar advisory capacity for a company or organization? Do you own your own business? Here are five things you should know about privacy and cybersecurity compliance.

  1. Upholding Your Fiduciary Duties

As a fiduciary of an organization, you may already know that you have a duty of loyalty and duty of care, including the duty to keep investors and owners informed of the cybersecurity risks of the organization. You also have the duty to protect the organization from undue risk, balancing the organization’s ability to conduct its operations with appropriate levels of risk mitigation strategies.

  1. Basic Knowledge of Privacy and Cybersecurity Issues

To properly fulfill your fiduciary duties, you need to obtain and maintain a basic knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy issues and risks facing the organization. Lack of understanding is not an excuse, and it is expected that Boards familiarize themselves with the cybersecurity efforts in the organization, champion and drive the organization’s commitment to ensure adequate cybersecurity protections are established and maintained. Board members and owners are also strongly encouraged to engage in the organization’s training and awareness campaigns and gain additional awareness as it relates to advising organizations effectively.

  1. Maintain the Company’s Reputation and Public Perception

Privacy and cybersecurity compliance builds the foundation of trust and reinforces an organization’s reputation for honoring the privacy expectations of both customers and business partners. A company’s character and brand are driven by industry expectations, treatment of customer data, legal requirements and product development. Mishandling a security breach can have devastating effects on the organization’s reputation, financial, operational and other aspects of the business. Many companies do not recover from a data breach due to the lack of proper advance planning and proper oversight.

  1. Watchdogs

In the United States alone, there are several different government authorities that maintain varying levels and scopes of authority over organizations with respect to privacy and cybersecurity issues, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Federal Sentencing Commission, and State Attorneys General, to name a few. There are also non-governmental watchdogs, from privacy advocacy groups who lobby for stricter laws and regulations and plaintiffs’ attorneys who bring actions against organizations that fail to comply with laws and regulations as well as organizations’ own stated privacy practices.

  1. Board Personal Liability

Breaches of fiduciary duties can be a slippery slope: subjecting board members to personal liability if the failure to exercise a minimum level of care, such as ignoring cybersecurity risks of the organizations, delegating responsibility without oversight, and lack of proper skill or training to properly advise the organization in these matters. Penalties can range from debarment from eligibility to bid on future federal contracts, large fines and jail time for individuals.

What Owners and Board Members can Do Today:

  • Call your insurance provider:
    • Do you have a cyber insurance policy?
    • Understand what is covered and make sure that the coverage is appropriate for your business risks.
  • Meet with your technology experts to talk about current protections and risks that they are aware of. Understand where there may be gaps in current protections from a technology perspective and what recommendations the technology experts have to fill those gaps.
  • Consult with legal counsel to identify the laws and regulations that apply to your business related to privacy and cybersecurity compliance.
  • Assemble a cross-functional team of internal and external subject matter experts and professionals who handle critical data of the company to form a privacy steering committee. The Committee’s core responsible should be implementing and maintaining a compliance program that addresses the company’s privacy and cybersecurity risks.

Need conversation starters about privacy and cybersecurity for your board or organization? Contact Partner Allison Cole at aecole@bmdllc.com to discuss ways to address this important topic for your business.


The NLRB Limits the Reach of Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Provisions in Severance Agreements Overruling Trump-Era Policies

Employers should exercise caution and closely examine the content of severance agreements to ensure compliance with a recent National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) decision.  On February 21, 2023, the NLRB restricted the breadth of permissible language of confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses when it issued its decision in McLaren Macomb and overruled its Trump-era decisions in Baylor University Medical Center and IGT d/b/a International Game Technology.

Ohio Medical Board Releases New Telehealth Rules

On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, the State Medical Board of Ohio released its final telehealth rules to implement Ohio’s telehealth statute (O.R.C. 4743.09) for physicians, physician assistants, dieticians, respiratory care professionals and genetic counselors. Ohio’s advanced practice registered nurses (“APRNs”) should also take note of these rules. While the Medical Board does not govern APRNs directly, those APRNs who are required to have a collaborating physician and standard care arrangement (namely nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists) are still affected by the rules. Generally, if an APRN’s collaborating physician is limited in their practice, then the APRN will also be limited.

The End of the Public Health Emergency is (Finally) Here

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”) that has been in effect for over three years is finally slated to end on May 11, 2023.[1] With the end of the PHE will come many changes for healthcare providers to be aware of; however, some changes may not come until much later.

Multi-340B Contract Pharmacy Locations on the Brink? The Third Circuit’s Ruling Gives a Hint.

The 340B drug discount program requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to offer to sell their products at significant discounts to safety net providers called “covered entities.” In 1996, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued guidance authorizing covered entities to enter into a contract pharmacy arrangement with a single third-party contract pharmacy, to which the manufacturer would ship 340B medications but bill the covered entity. In 2010, HRSA issued revised guidance permitting covered entities to enter into an unlimited number of contract pharmacy arrangements.

Five Opportunities for Operations and Compliance Excellence in 2023

With the holidays behind us and the rest of the year ahead, now is the perfect time to get your operational/compliance house in order! Though your list might be a mile (or an inch) long, here are five places to start.