The HIPAA Security Rule requires healthcare providers and their business associates to implement physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect the electronic Protected Health Information (PHI) that they utilize. It establishes national standards to protect that information. These standards apply not just to covered entities, but any organization that handles PHI – including subcontractors and business associates. Administrative safeguards (also called...
Cloud Hosting & HIPAA Compliance When you think of trends in healthcare, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s a particular EMR system, new machines in the office, ways in which you communicate with patients… the list goes on. One thing is for sure when we think about all the ways that healthcare has changed over...
Before you buy a home, an inspection is completed as a way of exposing any potential issues to you as a buyer. This can give you leverage when it comes to purchasing price negotiation since these liabilities can often present risks to you as a resident. Those risks can come in the form of cost...
October. That time of year when we have pumpkin spice everything and when tricks, treats, and terrors are given front-page billing. And for some people, it is the ideal time to binge-watch scary movies on repeat. We stare at the screen with one eye open, begging the main characters not to go into the woods,...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a new policy statement that requires health apps and connected device companies that collect health information to comply with the Health Breach Notification Rule. Yes, that means those very apps that so many of us use to collect our heart rate, weight, sleep, fertility, height, or any other sensitive...
The terms protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) are often used interchangeably. But while they may sound like the same thing, there are differences that set them apart, and that is especially true when it comes to HIPAA. What’s the difference? PII is any information that can be traced to a person’s...
Recently The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) shared a comprehensive list of resources for any HIPAA-regulated entity to assist them in the prevention, detection, and mitigation of data breaches of protected health information that occurs because of hacking or ransomware. As a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA compliance, an attack on your...
Accessibility is Here to Stay Health Information Technology (Health IT) is an always evolving realm, with new tools coming to market as fast as we can master the old ones. With the advancement of technology comes a need for new software and security to maintain these systems. This past year has been one example of...
It’s easy to find a news story with someone misappropriating what HIPAA is, what it means, and what it does. Most people incorrectly assume how it protects their health records and information from ‘the world at large’. It does protect private health information, and it was created to allow for easy access to one’s health...
Patient care in a digital age means that most information is stored electronically. These records, known as electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), are collected as electronic health records (EHR) and then stored in a variety of systems. With the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in mind, how do you maintain security around the...
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