Consequences for HIPAA violations can often be quite harsh. If someone has breached the HIPAA privacy regulations – even without any malicious intent, civil penalties are applicable: $100 per violation for unawareness, a minimum of $1,000 for reasonable cause, a minimum of $10,000 if willful neglect is present and then rectified, and finally, a minimum of $50,000 for individuals who act with willful neglect and ignore the issue.
| Digital ExclusiveSAR to Hold 12th Annual Conference in Albuquerque
Save the dates and plan to attend this year's conference of the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR), co-sponsored by the University of New Mexico Medical School, to be held Oct. 21-23 in Albuquerque. Since its inauguration in 1993, the annual conference has reflected SAR's role as a focal point for practitioners and researchers interested in conducting, improving, and disseminating research on acupuncture, herbal therapy, qigong, and related modalities. The meeting affords clinical and basic science researchers a unique opportunity for sharing their cutting-edge research contributions with practitioners and educators. Beginning researchers are especially encouraged to attend to network and obtain advice from those more experienced with research design and interpretation.

A record number of abstracts have already been submitted for this fall's conference from university research centers, acupuncture and Oriental medicine schools, and practitioners in the United States, as well as those practicing abroad. The keynote speaker will be Iris Bell, MD, PhD, director of research for the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, whose topic will be, "Are Complex Adaptive Systems and Network Theories the Foundation for a Science of Whole-Person Healing?"
For detailed conference information and registration, please visit SAR's Web site (www.acupunctureresearch.org).