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Santa Claus and HIPAA Compliance
A HIPAA blog just for the holidays. What if Mr. Claus was injured in a run-in with a reindeer and a nurse in the hospital leaked the news?
Read more »When a PHI Breach Happens: What to Tell Your Patients
As soon as you discover that’s there’s been a breach of PHI, HIPAA requires that “without unreasonable delay” you notify those patients whose information is involved and in danger of being compromised. This article discusses how to do that.
Read more »Computer Virus Protection and Your Office
But no matter how much we might wish that hackers weren’t so busy or so clever, malicious software in the form of viruses, worms, and “Trojan horses” is out there. Today’s blog will talk about specific steps healthcare practices can take to keep systems free from malware.
Read more »Quick Tip: A Short Guide to a HIPAA Compliant Shredding
Today, let’s do some trash talkin’ – and take a look at the HIPAA compliant way to dispose of papers that contain Protected Health Information (PHI). Even if much of your PHI is now in digital form (ePHI) and your office is well on its way to becoming paperless, chances are you still need a shredder every now and then. Whether it’s a stack of old color-coded files that have been recently scanned or last week’s patient sign-in sheets, HIPAA requires that PHI on paper be safely disposed when it’s no longer needed. Paper records containing PHI should never […]
Read more »HIPAA, OSHA, and the Alphabet Soup of Government Regulations
HIPAA deals mainly with safeguarding Protected Health Information (PHI) in all its forms. In essence, it’s a patient-centered law. OSHA, on the other hand, is all about working conditions.
Read more »The HIPAA Privacy Rule and Patients’ Rights
With so much involved in running a successful healthcare practice today, it’s easy to understand how HIPAA has come to be viewed as more of a nuisance than a necessary part of good care. But at its core, HIPAA isn’t about extra logistical hassles or additional work, it’s really about best practices — and creating and maintaining a professional environment that protects every patient’s rights.
Read more »3 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know to Pass a HIPAA Audit
In an earlier post, I talked about “The Secret to Passing a HIPAA Audit.” And it came down to the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.
Today I’d like to expand a bit on that and offer some info on specific areas of compliance the HIPAA auditors will be delving into. These areas aren’t a secret. In fact, auditors who’ll be knocking on doors of practices like yours will arrive with very clear guidelines from HHS as to what to look for and evaluate.
The HIPAA-Savvy Patient — Friend or Foe?
These days it’s not just healthcare providers who know about HIPAA. Healthcare consumers are becoming much more aware of their right to privacy and the role that HIPAA plays in that. This article takes a look at what that can mean for healthcare practices.
Read more »Quick Tips for HIPAA Compliance
Computer privacy screens are designed to protect the data on your screen from the eyes of the idly curious or the intentionally prying. A privacy screen guards against unauthorized viewing of info by limiting viewing to the person sitting directly in front of the screen. Anyone looking from the side won’t be able to see what’s there—patient names, addresses, insurance info, and more.
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