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Briefings on HIPAA

Issue 12, December 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Lax enforcement? Not under the OIG’s watch

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently criticized CMS’ lack of HIPAA security rule...

• Honeypots: A sweet tool for monitoring snooping

  It doesn’t matter whether a staff member peeks at the medical record of Tiger Woods, John...

• Certified career boosters: How credentials help you

  All you need is a few dollars, a few classes, and a passing exam grade, and those few letters...

• Q&A: Breach notification, secure e-mail, and more

  Answers to the touhest HIPAA questions on security and privacy.

• Home secure home: Mitigate remote access risks

  Your healthcare facility today probably allows or has pondered the idea of allowing employees to...

Issue 11, November 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Flag identity theft as federal rule takes effect

  Although identity theft is often associated with exploited credit cards, patients can also be...

• Q&A: Handle flower deliveries, media requests, and more

  Learn the answers to the toughest HIPAA questions on privacy and security.

• Disaster preparedness: Design, update, practice your plan

  Disasters aren’t a threat only in areas susceptible to tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes...

• Confront release of information challenges

  Occasionally, special situations arise in which a patient may be unable to execute an authorization...

• Trust in CellTrust’s Mobile Healthcare Solution messaging

  Mobile devices, especially smart phones, have become increasingly important in healthcare.

• Discipline with the intent to educate

  Despite the thoroughness of your policies and procedures, the effectiveness of your training, and...

Issue 10, October 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Keep your staff members’ e-mail private and secure

  In an era of instant connectivity, many physicians find that sending PHI and other confidential...

• HIPAA and the use of electronic signatures and delivery

  My friends in the e-commerce world tell me that they continually run into representatives of HIPAA...

• Q&A: Visitor badges, stolen laptops, and more

  Q. What are the reporting requirements when a company laptop containing specially protected health...

• Attention to detail, information exchange process makes Oregon DHS a compliance success story

  Kyle Miller, CISSP, has spent nearly three decades in information technology (IT), including work...

• HIPAA in the ER: Exceptions, suggestions for compliance in a chaotic clinical setting

  The emergency room (ER) is one place where unpredictability is the norm, where critical and...

Issue 9, September 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Avoid the 'dirty little secret' inside healthcare

  Curiosity. Malice. Efficiency. Rivalry. To be helpful. To be hurtful. Because they have a brief...

• Train billing and coding staff members on HIPAA

  Coding and billing staff members don’t have much face-to-face interaction with patients, but...

• Q&A: What HIPAA requires when you sell your practice, do educational mailings, e-mail PHI, and more

  Editor’s note: Brandt is president of Brandt & Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting...

• Covered entity pays for a potential HIPAA violation

  HHS has thrown down the gauntlet; HIPAA violations may now come with a price. HHS and Seattle-based...

• Minimize mistakes when responding to the media

  It doesn’t matter whether your facility is located in a large U.S. metropolitan area or a...

Issue 8, August 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Presidential election casts uncertainty on HIPAA

  The presidential election is still months away, and presumptive nominees John McCain and Barack...

• See your privacy program through a new set of eyes

  HIPAA didn't come with a step-by-step guide that explains how to implement the privacy rule with...

• Train patient access staff members on HIPAA

  Editor's note: This is the fourth of five articles on how and what to teach staff members in...

• Q&A: Security officers-one for all or one for each?

  Editor's note: Apgar is president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR. He has more than 17...

• Medical identity theft an increasing challenge

  It's a hot topic everywhere-in television commercials, movie plots, and on the nightly news. And...

Issue 7, July 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HIPAA housekeeping: Focus on these periodic tasks to ensure compliance success

  You wouldn't drive your car to work every day without performing regular oil changes, or let dirt...

• Train your environmental services staff on HIPAA

  Editor's note: The following is the third article in a series about how to effectively train...

• Q&A: Releasing information to other providers

  Editor's note: Brandt is president of Brandt & Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm in...

• HIPAA and the modern blended, extended family

  Protecting patient information has always been challenging. But these days, it's downright...

Issue 6, June 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Prepare for a security audit

  The secret to handling a potential security audit is preparation. So prepare your policies and...

• Rule over HIPAA privacy and security compliance

  When her organization assigned her the title of chief privacy officer at Community Health and...

• Physicians: Blog without violating patient privacy

  Imagine a place where physicians can support each other in difficult situations, discuss...

• Maximize your time when training upper management

  The following is the second article in a series about how to effectively train specific groups of...

• Q&A: Audit logs, e-mail, videotapes and ... dentists?

  Editor's note: Apgar is president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR. He has more than 17...

Issue 5, May 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Get to the bottom of privacy investigations

  Covered entities (CE) that have policies and procedures in place for privacy breach investigations...

• How to train physicians on HIPAA privacy and security

  The following article is the first in a series on effectively training specific groups of staff...

• Use this sample quiz when training physicians

  Use this sample quiz to train your physicians on what they need to know about HIPAA privacy and...

• Outsource your data storage: Reduce stress and remain HIPAA compliant without breaking the bank

  Dan Novak, the information technology (IT) manager at Euclid Insurance in Itasca, IL, is helping...

• Q&A: Caller identification, whiteboards, accessing personal EHRs, and more

  Editor's note: Brandt is president of Brandt & Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm in...

Issue 4, April 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Stop stumbling through your HIPAA privacy and security training

  HIPAA privacy and security officers have been asking themselves the following questions for...

• Conquer privacy training at your LTC facility

  Editor's note: This is the second article in a two-part series about HIPAA compliance for long-term...

• Keep on top of security to stay HIPAA compliant

  Until 2008, a visit from the tooth fairy seemed more likely than a visit from a HIPAA auditor to...

• Q&A: Securing e-mail, managing electronic PHI, protecting information taken off-site, and more

  Editor's note: Apgar is president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR. He has more than 17...

• Case study: Small steps can mean privacy success

  Your organization is probably settling into a compliance routine-but don't get into a rut. Your...

Issue 3, March 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Tackle the challenges of portable devices/media and remote access

  Controlling the flow and security of PHI within your organization's walls is difficult...

• Privacy and LTC: Common problems, effective solutions

  Editor's note: This is the first article in a two-part series on HIPAA compliance for long-term...

• Fundraising, marketing, and the privacy rule

  Healthcare providers who remain ignorant of HIPAA's rules regarding fundraising and marketing do so...

• HIPAA audits: What you need to know to prepare

  Although covered entities (CE) have known that CMS would eventually enforce the HIPAA security rule...

Issue 2, February 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Now is the time to revisit your organization's security program

  Now that CMS has contracted with Pricewaterhouse-Coopers (PwC) to conduct security audits of...

• Recognize common HIPAA myths and misconceptions

  Working proactively to maintain HIPAA compliance and patient privacy is essential. However, some of...

• Q&A: Breach notification, Social Security numbers, HIPAA and the hearing impaired, and more

  Editor's note: Apgar is president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR. He has more than 17...

• HIPAA training: Best practices for better success

  When the HIPAA privacy rule became effective in early 2003, it provided the first measure of...

• Manage your BA agreements to ensure compliance

  There was probably a time a few years ago when you asked your staff to provide copies of every...

Issue 1, January 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HIPAA will heat up in 2008

  The end of 2007 brings to a close a tumultuous year for covered entities, which faced NPI...

• Balance patient privacy and medical research

  Is it possible to keep patient information private without stifling medical research? The answer...

• Q&A: PHI disclosures, BA agreements, and more

  Editor's note: Brandt is president of Brandt & Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm in...

• Monitor the health of your HIPAA security compliance

  If you are responsible, directly or indirectly, for your organization's implementation of HIPAA's...