Biography
Jeffery P. Drummond’s areas of focus include representing hospitals, physicians, laboratories, surgery centers, and other healthcare providers in transactional and regulatory matters. Jeff is involved in drafting contracts, negotiating business relationships, and analyzing healthcare regulations in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and tax exemption areas. For many years, Jeff was listed in the “red book” as nationally recognized bond counsel.
Jeff is best known for his experience in HIPAA and medical record privacy, as well as other data privacy and security issues. He was recognized for his experience with HIPAA while the regulations were very new, has been involved in the HIPAA compliance activities of hundreds of entities and institutions, and has drafted thousands of HIPAA forms, documents, agreements, and policies and procedures. It is possible that more practitioners are using Jeff’s HIPAA documents than any other HIPAA attorney, given that he drafted the form documents offered by the Texas Medical Association to its physician members. Jeff is a frequent speaker on HIPAA and cybersecurity issues, speaking to large and small healthcare entities, lawyers, and other vendors to the healthcare industry. Since 2002, Jeff has written a weblog on HIPAA matters at www.hipaablog.blogspot.com, and regularly tweets about HIPAA under the Twitter handle @JeffDrummond.
Jeff is also a contributing editor to D Magazine’s web publication “D Healthcare Daily,” a member of the editorial advisory board of “Report on Patient Privacy,” and was named a “Best Lawyer in Dallas” in the healthcare field in 2014 by D Magazine. Jeff is an adjunct professor in the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, teaching a course on Healthcare Law, Policy and Regulation.
Education
B.A., cum laude, University of Dallas
J.D., University of Texas School of Law
Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US)
Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP)
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1987
Jeff primarily serves clients in the health industry, specifically:
- Nonprofit, for-profit, and public hospitals
- Surgery centers, imaging centers, dialysis centers, and other ancillary providers
- Drug, device, and durable medical equipment developers and suppliers
- Single-specialty and multi-specialty physician practices of all sizes
- Technology companies and app developers in the health industry
Jeff provides a wide variety of services to his clients in the corporate, transactional, and regulatory areas, including advising clients regarding:
- Entity formation, dissolution, and operations
- Stark, Anti-Kickback, and other federal regulatory matters
- Licensure and certification issues
- Other healthcare regulatory compliance matters
- HIPAA, HITECH, and GINA compliance matters
- Data privacy risk analysis, policy development, implementation, and training
- Medical record retention, protection, and destruction issues
- Medical record and other data breach investigation and reporting
Jeff has successfully represented numerous healthcare providers who have suffered data breaches, including direct negotiations with the Office for Civil Rights relating to potential HIPAA breaches. Jeff has also assisted companies in other industries with addressing potential data breach incidents involving the Gramm Leach Bliley Act and other data protection laws and regulations. In addition to federal regulatory issues, these incidents included potential notification requirements in multiple states and foreign jurisdictions.
- Represented a hospital system and a dental practice in investigating, addressing, and remediating possible ransomware attacks.
- Represented a medical school in investigating and responding to a potential breach of patient information.
- Represented two large public hospitals in the formation of private-public service organizations to serve as Section 1115 Waiver organizations.
- Represented multiple large single-specialty physician groups in mergers and consolidations.
- Represented an oncology team in transitioning their existing practice to form a new practice entity.
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2018-2021
- Ranked for Healthcare – Texas, 2018-2021
- The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.), 2018-2022
- Healthcare Law, 2018-2022
- AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyer in Dallas – Healthcare, D Magazine, 2014, 2018-2020
- American Health Lawyers Association
- National Association of Bond Counsel
- State Bar of Texas – Health Law Section
- Dallas Bar Association – Health Law Section, Chairman, 2001
- Oak Hill Academy
- Board of Trustees, 2007–2013
- Chairman, 2010–2013
- Oak Highlands Estates Homeowners’ Association
- Board, 2011–Present
- President, 2011–2015
- “Patient blocks exam elements? Work with them before turning them away,” Part B News (January 2022)
- “Still Missing a New Leader, Former OCR Directors, Experts Offer Advice, Task List,” Report on Patient Privacy, Vol. 21, Num. 8 (August 2021)
- “Is It Legal For Businesses To Require Customers To Be Vaccinated?,” Daily Caller (June 2021)
- “Does a Vaccine Passport Violate HIPAA Laws?,” WFAA-TV (March 2021)
- “OCR Seeking Ways to Improve HIPAA, Respond to Value Concerns,” Relias Media (January 2021)
- “HIPAA Compliance a Concern as Working from Home Becomes Norm,” Relias Media (July 2020)
- “Prepare for closer HIPAA scrutiny of telehealth as states and practices cautiously reopen,” Part B News (July 2020)
- “Security Experts Warn of Elevated Threat of Medical ID Theft During Coronavirus Pandemic,” CBS 11 Dallas/Fort Worth (June 2020)
- “Kern County Public Health sends addresses of positive COVID-19 patients to local first responders,” 23ABC News – Bakersfield (May 2020)
- “Should HOAs and landlords ask if you have COVID-19? Should you tell them?,” The Dallas Morning News (April 2020)
- “Deterrent Effect of OCR Fines Unknown; Expert Advises Against ‘Rolling the Dice,'” Report on Patient Privacy, Vol. 19, Num. 7 (July 2019)
- “Updates in HIPAA Compliance,” Dallas Bar Association Health Law Section (July 2019)
- “Merger called off between Baylor Scott & White, Memorial Hermann,” Dallas Business Journal (February 2019)
- “How size plays into Baylor Scott & White’s planned merger with Memorial Hermann,” Dallas Business Journal (October 2018)
- “Remember your baby’s newborn pictures? They may still be online.,” DataBreaches.net (May 2018)
- “Parkland hospital ex-employee pleads guilty to illegally leaking patient info for tax fraud scheme,” The Dallas Morning News (April 2018)
- “Misdirected medical documents reveal patient privacy issue,” WFAA News 8 (February 2017)