Category: HIPAA
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Record Year for HIPAA Enforcement
In the current environment of regulation reduction, it is notable that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received a record $28.6 million dollars in publicized settlements and judgments for HIPAA violations in 2018. These numbers surpass previous years with the closest year on record being 2016 in which HHS collected $23.5 million dollars.…
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Speak Up! HHS Wants to Hear from YOU!
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights wants to hear from health care providers, business associates and members of the public about how they can best modify HIPAA regulations. On Dec. 12, 2018, OCR issued a Request for Information, asking the public for comments on how the regulations can best facilitate…
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Lights, Camera…HIPAA
In the age of social media and reality TV, some people document their surroundings and behaviors regularly. Many of us think nothing of pulling out our cellphones to capture moments or otherwise memorializing our lives. But HIPAA-covered entities[1] must be proactive about the use of photographic and recording devices to ensure that they are in…
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Does Your Workforce Know Its Privacy/Security Officials? They Better.
As a health care compliance attorney for more than 12 years, I may not have seen it all, but I’ve definitely seen a lot. An unfortunate, yet common, pattern is a lack of compliance with some of the most basic state and federal regulations. There are some documents and practices that are required to be…
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What’s the Biggest Threat to Your Medical Practice? Your Staff!
Many of us are aware of recent attacks impacting health care entities large and small. As ransomware and other cybersecurity-related crimes are being reported daily, there is a tremendous focus on the “dark web” and how to decrease the likelihood your entity will be impacted by hackers. But as we put systems in place to…
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Do You Record Patient Phone Calls? Here’s What You Need to Know.
A physician practice recently inquired about implementing a policy pursuant to which the practice would begin recording phone calls to and from patients and referring providers. The practice of recording phone calls is not uncommon. For example, every time you call a customer service number you are informed that the call “may be recorded for…
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Looking Forward to Retirement? Solo Practitioners Can Still be HIPAA Compliant as You Close the Doors
Maybe you’ve been planning for retirement for some time or perhaps you’ve had a bad month and have decided that you’re better suited for life on the lake. In either circumstance, when you get ready to leave your practice and wind down your affairs, don’t forget that you still have responsibilities pursuant to state and…
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You Lock Your Doors at Night, but Do You Lock Your Internet?
Learn to digitally protect your office with a complimentary Risk Review *There is no obligation to purchase our services; only an obligation to take the assessment and document your office’s key vulnerabilities. Health Care Sector Leads in Cost for Data Breaches For the eighth year straight, health care organizations had the highest breach-related costs of any…
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Do You Know How to Easily Avoid a HIPAA Penalty?
If you have any questions, call PCIHIPAA at (800) 588-0254. Let them know you are a member of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.