Time for a HIPAA Booster Shot
As unfortunate as it is, there are bad guys out there taking advantage of the pandemic currently gripping our nation. Whether it be people posing to be from the government and calling to get bank account information for direct deposit of the stimulus checks, people offering home COVID-19 test kits, or bogus emails allegedly from […]
Pen and Paper as a Tool to Fight the Next Pandemic
To say our world has taken an unexpected turn is an understatement. One minute it is business as usual and the next minute we are talking about social distancing, lockdowns, scarcity of PPE and even the hoarding of toilet paper! Unprecedented to say the least. Providers are being asked to operate in circumstances they never […]
This Is Why We Have Policies
Needless to say, our country is in the middle of a very interesting time. Historians and sociologists will be busy for a decade studying the impact and reaction of COVID-19, not just in health care but in our society as a whole. It is times like these that reinforce the need for solid, well-drafted policies. […]
HIPAA Applies Even in Unprecedented Times
A story was posted on social media about a local woman who was trapped on a cruise ship due to the Covid-19 situation. Her health was somewhat fragile and she was running out of medications that were desperately needed due to a chronic heart condition. The story received a great deal of attention, due in […]
Requests for PHI for Public Health Purposes
With the Coronavirus issues being faced by providers all over the country it is important to remember the privacy and security protections under HIPAA still apply. Below is specific guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services of how providers should handle requests for information for public health purposes. A Health Insurance Portability and […]
The Role of Documentation in the HIPAA Program
Providers spend a lot of time talking about how to improve the quality and timeliness of service documentation but there is another type of documentation that deserves our attention as well. Without proper and sufficient documentation it is nearly impossible to maintain an effective HIPAA program. If a provider experiences a breach that impacts more […]
Breach Notification – Timing is Important!
One of the most common HIPAA violations by health care providers is the failure to follow the requirements of the Breach Notification Rule in terms of when proper notification must be made. While it may seem simple, each year providers are penalized for making breach notification outside of the specified time frames for notification to […]
Who Really Pays the Freight?
For years hospitals and physicians have utilized third parties to manage their medical records and respond to requests for copies from patients, attorneys, insurance companies, etc. I will admit, at times it seemed like the charge imposed for obtaining copies of medical records hedged on outrageous. These companies made a great deal of money managing […]
We have a Compliance Officer, that’s all we need, right?
By now most organizations are aware that they need a compliance program and a person who is designated as the Compliance Officer, but HIPAA requires every organization to also designate a Privacy Officer and a Security Officer. In many organizations the Compliance Officer tends to wear all the hats but it is important to consider […]
“Alexa, Stop the Hackers!”
As we have seen in recent weeks, hackers have become very comfortable intruding in on our personal lives by exploiting the dozens of devices we have connected to the internet. There is even a podcast that hacks into in-home security cameras when the show is on the air and talks to the homeowners. I suppose […]
Not Taking the Advice of the OCR Could Prove Costly
On November 27, 2019 the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a press release detailing a settlement agreement with Sentara Hospitals (Sentara) in the amount of $2.175 million. The matter that was the basis for the settlement started somewhat innocently when Sentara accidentally sent a bill to someone that contained the protected health information of […]
Change Your Thinking to Change Your World
A common frustration for many providers is the fact they keep dealing with the same types of HIPAA issues over and over. It seems no matter what type of training staff receive they continue to have conversations in public places, post photos on social media or leave protected health information out where it can be […]