The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for enforcing compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As part of its mandate, the OCR annually releases a report on data breaches in the healthcare industry. The most recent report, which covers the year...
Data privacy and cybersecurity are paramount concerns for individuals and organizations alike. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and cybersecurity standards are in place for both. It’s common to confuse the two critical healthcare business components as the same thing – yet they are very different. While both HIPAA compliance and cybersecurity address...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many industries and healthcare is no exception. With the advent of AI, healthcare businesses may face different threats to their cybersecurity. As a result, they could find their business in possible violation of HIPAA rules and regulations. There are also important ethical and privacy concerns associated with the use of...
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1996 to protect the privacy and security of individuals’ health information. It established requirements for covered entities, such as healthcare providers, insurance companies, and healthcare clearinghouses, to implement reasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect electronic...
Necessary Technology As technology advances, more healthcare providers adopt digital technologies. Therefore, HIPAA compliance in regard to text messages and chat services becomes increasingly important. The HIPAA Privacy Rule was created to protect the privacy of personal health information (PHI). And that includes PHI that is transmitted via text message or other electronic messaging services....
Let’s wrap up 2022 with some end-of-year tasks you’ll want to check off of your list if you’re in the business of healthcare! Training Program HIPAA compliance requires a training program. This means ensuring that your existing staff has completed their training annually and making sure that any new hires have been trained as well....
AI in Healthcare Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is increasingly used in healthcare. This can be seen in the form of machine learning which assists in detecting patterns, diseases, learning technologies, and more options to assist with patient care. Though not a failsafe, it can offset the risk of medical errors and allow for treatment that...
HIPAA & Tracking Technologies Tracking technologies such as Google Analytics and Meta Pixel are designed to collect and analyze user data for online activity. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a notification regarding these and the obligation to HIPAA from the covered entities...
A security risk assessment must be conducted to maintain HIPAA compliance per the Security Rule. A security risk assessment is also referred to as an SRA. It is a requirement for government plans such as Medicare, Obamacare, and Medicaid. It is also required for individual health care plans and employer-sponsored plans. Where to Start Identify...
The HIPAA Administrative Simplification provisions are in place to provide consistency in electronic communications within healthcare for Protected Health Information (PHI). These mandate the usage of standard transactions, code sets, and identifiers for the United States healthcare system. Who Must Comply? The most common organizations which must comply are healthcare clearinghouses, healthcare providers, and health...
© 2026 · HIPAA Secure Now!
Recent Comments