Since HIPAA was signed into law more than 25 years ago, misconceptions surrounding its purpose, reach, and limitations have persisted. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those misconceptions—multiple public figures cited HIPAA as a reason not to share their vaccination status. As a result, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance emphasizing that HIPAA strictly applies to covered entities. OCR stressed that despite common misconceptions, the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not prohibit any individual, business, or […]

If you are a health care-related business or work with health care related records and information, how careful are you at following HIPAA regulations? Are you making any mistakes, even if those mistakes are inadvertent? A health care data breach that took place last year in Maine serves as an important reminder about the importance of choosing the right methods and ITAD providers for data destruction, proper disposal of hard drives and e-recycling. The HIPAA […]

If you’ve been to any type of health care provider for a check-up since 1996, you will likely recall signing a document that either denies access or gives certain people (e.g., a family member or friend) permission to accept phone calls or receive other medical information about you. That’s a HIPAA release form. Here, we’ll explain what HIPAA is, how it applies to non-medical businesses, and how your company can avoid a HIPAA violation. What […]

After experiencing a PHI breach, HIPAA-covered entities and business associates must comply with reporting requirements under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities and business associates to follow specific reporting requirements following the discovery of a protected health information (PHI) breach. If organizations fail to comply with HIPAA’s standards, they run the risk of endangering patient privacy, paying hefty noncompliance fees, and suffering reputational harm and lawsuits. Healthcare organizations […]

Whether you have recently experienced a breach or are just preparing for the worst, it’s important to know what you need to assess in the event that your practice is faced with a HIPAA incident. Any time your Protected Health Information (PHI) is exposed, whether maliciously or accidentally, your practice may be facing serious fines for a HIPAA violation. The first step is knowing what exactly is considered a breach of PHI. As defined by […]

After two years of dealing with COVID-19, hospitals and health care systems are creating new programs to improve safety for patients, staff and visitors. But staff burnout, staff shortages and rates of infection remain problems and 33% of hospital and health care leaders say not enough is being done, according to a new survey. The findings were part of “A New Era for Hospital Safety: What We’ve Learned from the Pandemic and What Still Needs […]

Amid a rise in healthcare worker injuries and illnesses, the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is urging facilities and providers in the industry to employ effective safety and health programs. OSHA made the plea in a news release Feb. 8, about a week ahead of National Caregivers Day on Feb. 18. U.S. healthcare workers saw a 249 percent increase in injury and illness rates in 2020 compared to the year before, and workers in the […]

Amid the pandemic, U.S. healthcare workers experienced a 249% increase in injury and illness rates in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, workers in the healthcare and social assistance industries combined suffered more injuries and illnesses than workers in any industry in the nation. Risk management in healthcare facilities As National Caregivers Day falls on February 18, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calls on healthcare […]

The first two parts of this series on HIPAA in 2022 examined regulatory updates related to interoperability and OpenNote, and privacy, patient rights and security. That’s a lot to get your arms around during these challenging times. You may feel overwhelmed and ask yourself how to keep up-to-date on all of this year’s changes, and how to start to ensure that my practice is in full HIPAA compliance? This is perfectly understandable! Here are five […]