Elizabeth Hodge was quoted in a GovInfo Security article titled, “Health Data Breaches Lead to $2 Million California Penalty,” outlining how more states are toughening their approach toward healthcare institutions lacking adequate protections to their data systems when information breaches occur. Hodge provided an outlook on recent enforcement trends across state jurisdictions against companies that allegedly mishandle personal data.

"We have already seen state attorneys general launch investigations of organizations in other industries that have suffered data breaches. So healthcare organizations should not be surprised if, after a breach, they face investigations at the state level for possible violations of HIPAA and various state laws. There is also the real possibility that where a breach involves patients in multiple states, the attorneys general of those states may work cooperatively to investigate the matter and file a complaint," Hodge told the publication.