This post, Can law enforcement access patient information? Sometimes, first appeared on https://www.masslive.com/. Hospital emergency departments treat a diverse population that includes victims of abuse, individuals with substance abuse disorder and those who may have been involved in crime. Do situations arise where they are obligated to share patient information with law enforcement without patient authorization or cause them to initiate such cooperation in the interest of public and patient safety? Sometimes. That includes reporting evidence to law […]

This post, HIPAA and data sharing: Rethinking both for the Digital Age, first appeared on https://www.healthcareitnews.com/. By Corinne Smith Ironically, HIPAA was written at a time when most providers were on paper charts and submitting paper claims. It established a framework for protecting patient information and focused heavily on the way providers shared patient information. The subsequent HITECH (Health Information for Economic and Clinical Health) Act of 2009 focused on the promotion of electronic medical […]

This post, Complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule During Emergency Situations, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com/. The last thing on healthcare professionals’ minds in emergency situations is complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, but it should be a priority. Emergency situations and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, pandemics, or mass casualties, can quickly overwhelm healthcare systems. The last thing on people’s minds in those situations is complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Sometimes, but not always, […]

This post, Hospitals Fail at HIPAA Compliance Re Medical Records Requests, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com. Many hospitals failed at HIPAA compliance in response to simulated patients’ requests for medical records, according to a Yale study. October 09, 2018 – Many hospitals failed at HIPAA compliance in response to simulated patients’ requests for medical records, according to a study by Yale researchers published in the JAMA Network Open. The researchers surveyed 83 top-ranked US hospitals with independent medical […]

This post, Making Hospitals a Safe Place to Work – Preparedness for Hospital Staff, first appeared on http://nursing.advanceweb.com/. From workplace violence to bloodborne pathogen exposure, OSHA and other organizations are paying more attention to hospital safety protocols that go beyond awareness for patients. Dangers that exist in healthcare settings are typically thought of as hospital-acquired infections, biohazard exposure, incidence of medical errors and fall risks. These quagmires remain worthy of attention and protocols that promote safety, […]

This post, Good Incident Response Plans Are a Must, first appeared on https://www.renalandurologynews.com/. Tom Walsh, founder and managing partner of tw-Security, a health care privacy and information security firm in Overland Park, Kansas, related an incident that shows how the best intentions can go wrong. A small health care clinic that was acquired by a larger group had not switched to the purchaser’s medical records system. The clinic had a ransomware breach on a Friday afternoon, […]

This post, Cloud for healthcare presses on but is slowed by HIPAA anxiety, first appeared on https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/. Facing mounting pressure to take steps toward the healthcare cloud, hospital systems find themselves balancing modern infrastructure trends with HIPAA safeguards. Imagine a mortgage company telling a household it was too slow in moving to the cloud: Cut the cable cord and start streaming! Buy a smart speaker to order pizza! Have backyard security cameras upload footage to […]

This post, Are your vendors HIPAA compliant? Find out before it’s too late, first appeared on https://www.dentistryiq.com/. Organizations operating within dentistry and the healthcare industry more generally face constant regulatory pressure at the federal and state levels. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), for example, sets rules relating to the safeguarding of protected health information (PHI) that significantly impact the way organizations collect, store, and transmit their patients’ medical data. Failure to abide by […]

This post, LabCorp’s Network Security Breach May Have Exposed PHI of Millions, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com/. After recently dodging a legal bullet over an alleged HIPAA violation, LabCorp is now facing a network security breach that forced the North Carolina-based laboratory diagnostics firm to shut down its IT network, possibly placing PHI of millions of people at risk. By Fred Donovan July 17, 2018 – After recently dodging a legal bullet over an alleged HIPAA violation, […]

This post, How to Ensure Your Healthcare Cloud Storage Stays HIPAA Compliant, first appeared on https://healthtechmagazine.net/. As healthcare professionals continue to embrace digital technologies to safeguard their patients’ information, there is an industrywide need to ensure digital ecosystems are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This is particularly true as healthcare providers pivot to cloud storage, in addition to on-premises options. This move can help them prepare for precision medicine and population […]