HIPAA and Compliance News

How Does HIPAA Apply to Wearable Health Technology?

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The use of wearable health technology is expected to expand substantially within the next few years. Wearable devices offer many health tracking capabilities, including measuring heart rate, number of...

New York Suspends Nurse for HIPAA Violation Affecting 3K Patients

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The state of New York has suspended Martha Smith-Lightfoot, a former nurse at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), for a HIPAA violation. Smith-Lightfoot admitted to disclosing PHI when...

Did EMS Worker Commit HIPAA Violation With Facebook Post?

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Did an emergency medical services (EMS) worker in Roane County, Tennessee, commit a HIPAA violation with a Facebook post that described the peculiar location of an emergency response—a...

Why Providers Need a Disaster Recovery Plan for EHR Security

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Whether healthcare providers are working to prepare for potential natural disasters like hurricanes or manmade cybersecurity issues (i.e., ransomware attacks, insider data breaches) having a disaster...

How HIPAA Rules Apply with Law Enforcement Investigations

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HIPAA rules are meant to protect patient information, but what happens when there is a law enforcement investigation? Are police officers allowed to demand PHI without a warrant? That issue was...

The Role of HIM Professionals in HIPAA Compliance

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Individuals in the health information management (HIM) field play a critical role in covered entities’ approaches to data security, especially HIPAA compliance. HIM professionals are often...

The Role of Nurses in HIPAA Compliance, Healthcare Security

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Nurses deal with private information all day every day, from nursing stations and offices to exam rooms to patient bedsides to operating rooms. However, due to their focus on a patient’s health...

How Do HIPAA Rules, Patient Privacy Apply in Emergencies?

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No healthcare organization wants to compromise patient privacy, and HIPAA rules were designed to ensure that this does not occur.   Covered entities of all sizes should understand how the HIPAA...

HHS Reviews HIPAA Regulations for Workplace Wellness Programs

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A recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) blog post by Jocelyn Samuels, the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, discusses how HIPAA regulations apply to wellness programs that are part...

What are Top HIPAA Compliance Concerns, Obstacles?

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Maintaining HIPAA compliance should always be a key area for leaders in the healthcare industry, but as technology continues to evolve, there are numerous factors coming into play that could affect how...

Understanding Physical Safeguards, Healthcare Data Security

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When creating strong healthcare data security measures, physical safeguards serve as a primary line of defense from potential threats. The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) defines...

How Do HIPAA Regulations Affect Judicial Proceedings?

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HIPAA regulations are designed to keep healthcare organizations compliant, ensuring that sensitive data - such as patient PHI - stays secure. Should a healthcare data breach occur, covered entities or...

HIPAA Best Practices: Acceptable Use Policies, Team Training

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In an earlier post, we discussed the steps to performing a Risk Assessment. Once you’ve determined the risks within your healthcare environment, you can enlist your staff members to help you address...

AHIMA Releases Information Governance Principles for Healthcare

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The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recently published its Information Governance Principles for Healthcare (IGPHC). AHIMA determined that there are eight core principles...

HIPAA Privacy Rule: Permitted PHI uses and disclosures

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Though sometimes the goals of the HIPAA Privacy Rule can get lost in data breach and monetary penalty news, ensuring that patient data is both properly protected and accessible should be a consistent...

MedAllies receives accreditation from EHNAC, DirectTrust

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MedAllies, a provider of Direct services, has received full accreditation from Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) for Certificate Authority (CA), Registration Authority (RA), and Health...

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