March | 2015 | Touchstone Compliance

9 Safeguards for a HIPAA Compliant Fax

Before there was widespread access to email and the Internet, fax machines in healthcare practices were a common and accepted way to expeditiously share patient information with other providers. Convenient, affordable, easy to use, it’s no wonder fax machines are still whirring in a lot of offices. Maybe even yours. But with all the regulations now in place to ensure the privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI), many practices are wondering: Is information sent via fax HIPAA compliant? In today’s blog I’ll answer that question, provide guidelines for a HIPAA compliant fax for those of you who aren’t […]

How Falling Prey to a Phishing Expedition Puts PHI at Risk

Phishing has become so commonplace, the word has made its way into the dictionary: Phish — to try to obtain financial or other confidential information from Internet users, typically by sending an e-mail that looks as if it is from a legitimate organization, usually a financial institution, but contains a link to a fake website that replicates the real one. In today’s HIPAA Quick Tip, I’ll show you a little trick that could save you and your staff from taking the bait from someone phishing for information. With regulations about data security getting stricter, hackers have stepped up their game. […]

Recent Changes in the Notice of Privacy Practices: What You Need to Know

If there’s one aspect of HIPAA compliance it seems every office implements, it’s the Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) — the document that informs patients of the permitted uses and disclosures of their Protected Health Information (PHI) and also spells out their rights as patients regarding their own access to their PHI. I can vouch for the widespread use of NPPs from my own experience as a healthcare consumer. At every first-time visit to a doctor’s or dentist’s office in recent memory, I’ve been handed a clipboard with a lengthy, legal-sounding NPP to read, along with a pen to sign […]

Cracking the Code of HHS Guidelines for Encryption of PHI

To encrypt or not to encrypt, that is the question. Or to put it another way: To convert readable data into gibberish that must be decoded to become readable again — or not to convert readable data into gibberish that must be decoded to become readable again, that is the question. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) says, “A covered entity must implement a mechanism to encrypt and decrypt electronic protected health information.” That sounds a lot like the government’s way of saying, “End of discussion.” But actually it’s not that clear cut. HIPAA goes on to state, […]

Beware of the Email Attachments from Hell

If you or someone on your staff opens one of these diabolic — yet seemingly innocent — email attachments, they can infect the office’s computers and make running your practice “hella” difficult until they’re fixed. Email attachments are a common source of viruses and worms. When opened, they can give hackers control of your computer, enabling them to send copies of their message to every email address in your address book. Malware like this can do a lot of damage within your office and beyond — crippling computers, servers, and networks. In this HIPAA Quick Tip, I’ll offer a few […]

The Pluses of a Virtual Private Network for Exchanging PHI Remotely

Let me set a scene where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) would be “just what the doctor ordered.” You’re out of town at a conference of healthcare professionals in your specialty. Before you left home, a colleague asked you to consult on a paricular case. She said she would email you the patient’s test results as soon as she got them, along with relevant details from his medical history.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download “Take a look as soon as you can,” she said, “Then tell me what you think.” You brought your laptop with you. The hotel […]

The Basics of Mobile Device Security for Protected Health Information

The single most common way Protected Health Information (PHI) is compromised is through the loss of devices themselves, whether this happens by accident or by theft. Technology — thumb drives, CDs, smart phones, tablets — has made it possible for large amounts of information to be tucked into our pockets or purses and carried to our cars, homes, favorite coffee shops, or hotel rooms at conferences. Files that used to take up an entire wall can now fit on a 2-inch thumb drive, a mini iPad, a laptop. But with this amazing technological convenience, comes increased responsibility. “Covered entities and […]

Basics of a Good Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA

When it comes to safeguarding Protected Health Information (PHI), you could say, “It takes a village.” The Omnibus Rule underscores the fact that protecting patients’ health information and their right to privacy is the responsibility today not only of healthcare providers, but also of their business associates (BAs) whose work requires them to access PHI. And the Business Associate Agreements mandated by HIPAA play an important role in that shared responsibility. Get your free BAA template here! (Not.) In this post I’d like to offer a handy BAA template that would work for all your business associates, as defined by […]

8 Simple Physical Safeguards for Protected Health Information

It’s happened in hundreds of offices. A thirsty staff member brings a beverage to a computer workstation. Sets in down within easy reach. Logs on to the computer and turns her attention to the screen. A few minutes later, she absently reaches for the drink. Accidentally knocks it over. Gasps as the cola from her Big Gulp seeps into the crevices of the practice’s main computer. Stuff happens. Here are a few simple physical safeguards you can put in place to protect health information from perils as varied as spills, overloaded outlets, fire dangers, and earthquakes. Eat, drink, and be merry […]

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Monthly Archive for: "March, 2015"

9 Safeguards for a HIPAA Compliant Fax

How Falling Prey to a Phishing Expedition Puts PHI at Risk

Recent Changes in the Notice of Privacy Practices: What You Need to Know

Cracking the Code of HHS Guidelines for Encryption of PHI

Beware of the Email Attachments from Hell

The Pluses of a Virtual Private Network for Exchanging PHI Remotely

The Basics of Mobile Device Security for Protected Health Information

Basics of a Good Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA

8 Simple Physical Safeguards for Protected Health Information