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 […]
How Falling Prey to a Phishing Expedition Puts PHI at Risk Read More »
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
Recent Changes in the Notice of Privacy Practices: What You Need to Know Read More »
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
The Pluses of a Virtual Private Network for Exchanging PHI Remotely Read More »
I’m going to talk a little bit today about audit trails — sometimes called “audit logs” — and the vital role they can play in your ongoing efforts to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) safe, your workforce honest, and hackers at bay. What is an audit trail? According to Fundamentals of Law for Health Informatics
Healthcare Providers: Why a Computer’s Audit Trail Is Important Read More »
Before the HIPAA Omnibus Rule went into effect last year, the standard for determining whether or not patients needed to be notified in the event of a breach of Protected Health Information (PHI) was pretty subjective. If, for instance, a computer with PHI  of 3000+ patients was stolen from a small practice, it was the
The Newest Standard for Notifying Patients of a PHI Breach Read More »
In your line of work, people come to you every day with symptoms. Chest pains. Chills. Blurred vision. Toothaches. And every day you draw on your years of medical, optometry, or dental training and your skills as a diagnostician to figure what’s wrong and how to fix it. As a healthcare professional, it’s what you
6 Symptoms of a Possible Computer Virus Read More »
Strange as it might seem, HIPAA compliance and the New York City sewer system share a connection. Both have given rise to “stories with little or no supporting evidence that spread spontaneously in varying forms and often have elements of humor, moralizing, or horror” — in other words, both contain  the stuff of “urban legends.”
Urban Legends & the HIPAA Risk Analysis Read More »
My brother-in-law retired a few years ago after more than three decades in private practice. He ran his busy office the old fashioned way — without computers. His patients’ records were kept in manila folders filed in a wall of shelves. In longhand, his office manager recorded appointments in a big black book and
How to Prepare for the Risk Assessment HIPAA Requires Read More »
Exactly when an HHS auditor will visit your office is anybody’s guess. But I do know the first words an auditor is likely to say when he/she arrives to assess how the practice is doing with HIPAA compliance: “I’m from Health and Human Services and I’d like to speak with your Privacy Officer.”Roblox Robux
The Role of a Practice’s HIPAA Privacy Officer Read More »
Let’s be honest. To many healthcare providers, HIPAA is four-letter word. And the phrase “HIPAA compliance” — around since 1996 — has become a kind of irritating background noise they’ve gotten used to, but still wish would go away. Here in 2015 HIPAA compliance can no longer be ignored. Advances in technology and consumer awareness,
8 Common HIPAA Compliance Cop-Outs Read More »
