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...
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...
This week is Data Privacy Week. This international effort to encourage respect for privacy is encouraged for all industries, but in healthcare, it’s essential. Data privacy in healthcare is a critical issue that affects not only patients, but also healthcare providers, insurers, and researchers. The sensitive nature of personal health information (PHI) and the potential...
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....
Social Security Scam Alert The beginning of the year provides a new opportunity to scam people. Scams that center around the annual updates and renewals of programs and policies like Social Security are one of the most reported to the government. Be sure to advise your patients that if they are in receipt of Social...
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....
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 annual open enrollment period for healthcare insurance provides another opportunity for scammers to take advantage of. From gathering personal information to receiving payments for non-existent plans, criminals will try nearly anything to score. The signs of a scam aren’t always easy to spot. Here are some of the tactics that consumers should be on...
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...
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