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 »
As part of HIPAA compliance, every healthcare office must have a Privacy Officer and a Security Officer. This article describes the responsibilities of each.
To borrow a phrase from Stephen Colbert, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) — the department in charge of HIPAA enforcement — got a “wag of the finger” a while back from the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. And that’s bound to have an impact on healthcare offices everywhere. A November …
In the event of a disaster, here’s what every healthcare provider needs to know about data backup of Personal Health Information (PHI and ePHI).
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.
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 …
8 Simple Physical Safeguards for Protected Health Information Read More »
Does a Miley Cyrus video with over 750 million views offer any insights into what HIPAA says about data disposal? Well, consider this: The massive wrecking ball Ms. Cyrus sits on in the video swings between cinder-block walls. And before the hit song is over, they’re reduced to rubble, destroyed beyond recognition. If it’s not …
HIPAA & The Miley-Cyrus Approach to Data Disposal Read More »
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 …
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 …
Cracking the Code of HHS Guidelines for Encryption of PHI 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 »
