Corporate Compliance Articles by Topic: HIPAA
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Medicare Insider, Issue 47, November 20, 2012
CMS issues transmittal on testing HIPAA transactions following a system change
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 24, June 13, 2012
Q: Our physician practice operates a satellite clinic. The practice does not use an electronic...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 23, June 6, 2012
Q: Is a physician who uses an answering service and receives unencrypted messages from an answering...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 22, May 30, 2012
Failing to keep confidential information secure will cost South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Mass...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 23, June 7, 2011
On June 1, CMS released a rule to finalize a payment adjustment for provider-preventable...
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Medicare Update for Physician Services, Issue 6, June 2, 2011
On May 16, the OIG issued a report on CMS’ oversight and enforcement of HIPAA. The OIG...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 22, June 1, 2011
On May 27 the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published a HITECH-required proposed...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 22, June 1, 2011
Employees should only access information when they have a legitimate need to do so.
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Medicare Insider, Issue 21, May 24, 2011
On May 16, the OIG issued a report on CMS’ oversight and enforcement of HIPAA. The OIG...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 19, May 11, 2011
Q: An employee is terminated for violating patient confidentiality. The organization later...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 18, May 4, 2011
The number of entities reporting breaches of unsecured PHI affecting at least 500 individuals to...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 17, April 27, 2011
Q: Is it permissible to list patients by name on whiteboards in the nursing units?
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 15, April 13, 2011
Q: Should we provide a complete copy of a patient’s record when a subpoena requests...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 14, April 6, 2011
An authorization to use or disclose protected health information (PHI) may be combined with another...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 13, March 30, 2011
Q: We are required to report information, including patient account numbers and diagnosis codes, to...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 12, March 23, 2011
The OCR, the enforcer of the HIPAA privacy and security rules, is asking for an increase of $5.6...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 11, March 16, 2011
For the second time in less than a year, health insurance giant Health Net, Inc., is involved in a...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 11, March 16, 2011
Q: I work in patient financial services at a hospital. Like me, several of my coworkers have...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 9, March 2, 2011
The General Hospital Corporation and Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Inc., (Mass...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 9, March 2, 2011
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) imposed a civil money penalty (CMP) of $4.3 million to Cignet...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 7, February 16, 2011
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) must notify 1.7 million patients, hospital...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 7, February 16, 2011
Q: May a preadmission nurse leave messages (e.g., “This is a reminder that your surgery is...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 6, February 9, 2011
Your full workforce needs privacy and security training, says Kate Borten, CISSP, CISM. That...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 4, January 26, 2011
Health Net, Inc. agreed to pay the Vermont government $55,000 to resolve charges that the...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 4, January 26, 2011
What the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) considers a reasonable safeguard against...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 3, January 19, 2011
University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, fired three clinical support staff members and a...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 2, January 12, 2011
Investigating privacy complaints and applying sanctions are important aspects of compliance, but...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 48, December 22, 2010
Q: Our nursing staff continues to tape patient intake and output sheets outside of patient...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 47, December 15, 2010
The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires that access to and disclosure of protected health information (PHI...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 45, December 1, 2010
Six California hospitals and a nursing home must pay a total of nearly $800,000 for failing to...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 44, November 24, 2010
Florida authorities issued a criminal complainant against Albert Anthony Andrulonis, 26; Raushanah...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 44, November 24, 2010
Q: An insurance company is requesting copies of medical records to review our CPT ®...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 43, November 17, 2010
Health Net of Connecticut agreed to pay $375,000 to Connecticut Insurance Department for failures...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 42, November 10, 2010
Nearly three out of four (71%) of hospitals in the 100- to 600-bed range say they have inadequate...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 36, September 29, 2010
Q: We are planning to install wall-mounted kiosks in our skilled nursing facility to...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 34, September 1, 2010
Q: How did HITECH change HIPAA’s existing criminal and civil penalties?
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 30, August 4, 2010
Q: When an attorney requests we release all records, must we comply and send all of the...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 28, July 21, 2010
Q: One of my colleagues made a website accessible to invitees only. He plans to upload a...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 28, July 13, 2010
On July 8, HHS posted a display copy of a proposed rule to modify HIPAA privacy, security, and...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 20, May 26, 2010
Q: Does the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act supersede...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 18, May 12, 2010
Q: May ambulatory surgery center (ASC) staff members leave preoperative messages on patients&rsquo...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 18, May 4, 2010
On May 3, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published in the Federal Register a request for...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 5, May 1, 2010
The focus of the Red Flags Rule is identity theft, said Rebecca Williams, RN, JD, partner and...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 5, May 1, 2010
In this issue of SHCC, you’ll read about steps you can take to comply with the Red Flags Rule...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 16, April 28, 2010
Q: Does HITECH supersede our contracts with third-party health insurance policies if the patient...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 14, April 14, 2010
Q: Can hospitals notify the media about a patient’s condition without patient authorization?
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 4, April 1, 2010
In October 2009, an orthopedic surgeon at Rhode Island Hospital operated on the wrong finger of a...
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Laboratory Compliance Insider, Issue 4, April 1, 2010
Learn how to avoid common errors in the lab, become a more effective and respected manager, how to...
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Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report, Issue 4, April 1, 2010
Some changes are taking place in response to the USPSTF mammography guidelines that were released...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 9, March 4, 2010
Q: Whom should we notify if a minor’s record is breached? For example, a grandparent who...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 3, March 1, 2010
In this issue of SHCC, you’ll learn about some breaches at healthcare facilities and how you...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 3, March 1, 2010
Major breaches of patient information in 2009 break down into three types: snoopers, hackers, and...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 3, March 1, 2010
Is there any regulation that defines the retention period for electronic health record (EHR) or...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 3, March 1, 2010
Many organizations are focusing on the new privacy and security requirements created by the Health...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 5, February 3, 2010
Q: Are covered entities and business associates (BAs) required to revise their BA contracts to...
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Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report, Issue 2, February 1, 2010
Most importantly, double-check your list of BAs, says Kate Borten, CISSP, CISM, president of The...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 2, February 1, 2010
Nonetheless, providers subject to the rule’s requirement to develop a program that mitigates...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 2, February 1, 2010
In this issue, we answer your colleagues’ tough HIPAA compliance questions, target key areas...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 1, January 5, 2010
Q: If a facility updates its Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP), does it have to redistribute the...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 1, January 1, 2010
Learn the answer to this and other tough HIPAA compliance questions.
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 1, January 1, 2010
Be determined and thorough, but also patient as you gather evidence and develop a smart game plan...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 1, January 1, 2010
In this issue, we examine outpatient coding challenges that facilities are still facing. We explain...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 12, December 1, 2009
When HHS published its interim final rule on breach notifications in the August 24 Federal...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 12, December 1, 2009
In this issue of SHCC, you’ll learn about what a benchmark on your coders’ productivity...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 45, November 11, 2009
Q: How does CMS handle a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) complaint once...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 45, November 3, 2009
On October 30, CMS released a display copy of the OPPS final rule for CY 2010.
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 11, November 1, 2009
Understanding the new risks, responsibilities, and requirements presents a complex challenge for...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 11, November 1, 2009
“The move means a trigger has been pulled to be more aggressive with compliance actions and...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 11, November 1, 2009
In this issue of SHCC, you’ll learn what it means to you now that OCR is assuming oversight...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 42, October 13, 2009
On October 7, CMS issued a correction in the Federal Register to its previously issued IPPS final...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 41, October 6, 2009
On October 1, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a display copy of proposals to modify the...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 11, October 1, 2009
Adjusting to some of the new requirements will be difficult, but other aspects of the rule...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 10, October 1, 2009
Learn the answer to your important HIPAA privacy and security compliance questions.
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 10, October 1, 2009
The cost of a privacy breach far exceeds any fines authorized by the Health Information Technology...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 10, October 1, 2009
In this issue of SHCC, you’ll learn the real cost of a privacy breach. You’ll find out...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 38, September 23, 2009
Noncompliance with HIPAA regulations can result in several steep penalties. Misuse of patient...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 9, September 1, 2009
Learn the answer to this and other challenging HIPAA compliance questions from your colleagues.
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 9, September 1, 2009
HIPAA may not be fun to teach, learn, or execute because of its complexity, but it needn’t be...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 9, September 1, 2009
In this issue of Strategies for Health Care Compliance, we’ll take a look at unnecessary...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 33, August 19, 2009
Q: What auditing and documentation is necessary to demonstrate HIPAA compliance?
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 31, August 5, 2009
Q: A secretary in our pathology department faxed a report to a physician’s office. After...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 31, August 5, 2009
By Dom Nicastro, for HealthLeaders Media
The secretary of HHS shifted enforcement of the...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 8, August 1, 2009
the government, via the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 29, July 22, 2009
Q: I’ve been receiving requests for amendments resulting from records generated prior to...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 7, July 1, 2009
The FTC announced in early May that it has delayed enforcement of the rule. This delay will give...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 7, July 1, 2009
Risk assessment is an important and necessary task for every ¬organization. It can mean the...
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Strategies for Health Care Compliance, Issue 7, July 1, 2009
This month in Strategies for Health Care Compliance, we’ll take a look at some of the issues...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 27, June 30, 2009
On June 26, CMS instructed contractors to make system changes required for implementation of the...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 25, June 24, 2009
Q: How would you construct a letter to inform patients about stolen Protected Health Information?
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 23, June 10, 2009
Q: I keep hearing rumors that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will modify HIPAA...
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Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report, Issue 5, May 1, 2009
Facilities should begin to bolster their HIPAA policies and procedures and training programs in...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 12, March 25, 2009
A Massachusetts General Hospital employee left paperwork that contained protected health...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 8, February 25, 2009
HIPAA requires covered entities to manage electronic protected health information , including that...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 3, January 21, 2009
Q: We treat many patients who come from a state prison. When these patients come to our facility...
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Healthcare Auditing Weekly, Issue 2, January 13, 2009
Looking for a particular audit plan that may help make your job easier? Turn to the “Audit...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 1, January 7, 2009
Q: Say a police officer provided the name of a woman with a drug problem to a facility as a heads...
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Compliance Monitor, Issue 91, December 24, 2008
Q: Is overhead paging of a patient by name back to a clinic or hospital area a HIPAA violation?
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Healthcare Auditing Weekly, Issue 47, December 16, 2008
An Arkansas hospital fired six employees in October for illegally accessing patient medical records.
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Healthcare Auditing Weekly, Issue 41, November 4, 2008
The OIG blasted CMS for its limited enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and...
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Healthcare Auditing Weekly, Issue 41, November 4, 2008
Tip: Review your procedures for access patient information in an emergency
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Medicare Insider, Issue 44, November 4, 2008
On October 30, the OIG issued a review of CMS’ oversight of the HIPAA security rule. The OIG...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 41, October 14, 2008
CMS released two MLN Matters articles last week related to transmittals previously announced in...
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Medicare Insider, Issue 38, September 23, 2008
On September 19, CMS released the fourth quarter update to the NCCI edits.
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Medicare Insider, Issue 35, September 3, 2008
On August 22, HHS published the ICD-10 proposed rule in the Federal Register. As reported in the...