Health Information Management

Compare HIPAA with state privacy laws before conducting a gap analysis

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, April 26, 2002

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If you conduct a gap analysis by comparing your practices with HIPAA's regulations, and then realize there are stricter state laws in place, you'll have to do it all over again. So sit down with legal counsel and compare HIPAA's privacy regulations with state laws first, says Jonathan Kweller, JD, LLM, vice president of compliance and regulatory services at QuadraMed Corporation, in Englewood, Colorado.

"You would think most hospitals know what state laws are out there, but they don't always know," says Kweller. "There is a much bigger focus on patient privacy now. It's always a good idea to sit down and go through [your state's laws].

"Your gap analysis should always start with collecting paper first," he says. Gather copies of your facility's existing policies and procedures, HIPAA regulations, and state laws.

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