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How can you minimize the impact of HIPAA? Subscribe to Briefings on HIPAA, your health information management resource for complying with information privacy & security regulations. Get help with rewriting contracts with business partners, telling patients about how their information is being used, and establishing privacy-conscious business practices.

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Briefings on HIPAA

Issue 11, November 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Experts: Hospitals not the place for personal e-mail, social networking sites

  Regardless of how you respond to these privacy and security vulnerabilities, understanding the...

• HIPAA Q&A: Business associate agreements, social networking sites, donor information

  Learn the answer to this and more important HIPAA compliance questions.

• New contract requirements raise questions

  Covered entities can be BAs. Rely on the regulatory experts in your field. I can’t speak for...

• Harm thresholds: Opportunity for CEs to be more accountable for PHI, breach mitigation

  The rule’s “harm threshold” provision provides CEs an avenue to avoid reporting a...

• Dell responds with positive changes

  We found Dell to be significantly lacking in its abil¬ity or willingness to provide the support...

Issue 10, October 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Interim final rule: Significant challenges for BAs, covered entities

  Adjusting to some of the new requirements will be difficult, but other aspects of the rule...

• New BA requirements call for new contract language

  Understanding the new risks, responsibilities, and requirements presents a complex challenge for...

• HIPAA Q&A: Health plans, remote workers, and more

  Learn the answer to this and more HIPAA compliance questions from your peers.

• EHRs, incentives on the horizon

  : The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act includes...

Issue 9, September 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The meaning of meaningful use and its future

  HHS will review the recommendations and release a proposed rule by the end of the year. The content...

• Revisit your sanctions policy with HITECH Act in mind

  Review, or even rewrite, your policy if you think it’s outdated, says Dena Boggan, CPC, CMC...

• Q&A: Radiology images, contact with patient?s father, faxing pathology reports, and more

  If a patient asks our radiology department for a CD of his study images for his or her use, must...

• INFOSweep service helps ensure PHI destruction on copiers

  The service should be of interest to covered entities and business associates that require secure...

• Minnesota health system trains staff members and tracks participation success via an online system

  Colleagues John Jensen and Ross T. Janssen, Esq., CISSP, knew they needed a training system that...

Issue 8, August 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Rhode Island health information exchange blazes consumer-driven path

  The Rhode Island health information exchange (HIE), named “currentcare,” will go live...

• The long road to justice after a privacy breach

  Ingersoll’s story, which she shared at the 2008 HIPAA Summit in Boston, is an example of how...

• Q&A: Breach notification, summer help, HIPAA compliance

  A: If the fax included the patient’s Social Security number, you probably need to inform the...

• Create a culture of compliance

  HIPAA may not be fun to teach, learn, or execute because of its complexity, but it needn’t be...

Issue 7, July 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Hospitals may put patients in control of record sharing

  “What if the decision to share information is the patient’s rather than the...

• HIPAA and the HITECH Act: HHS proposed guidance offers framework for securing PHI

  The new HHS guidance, which is still at the draft stage, provides acceptable encryption and...

• Q&A: Hospice communication, home computer use, outgoing mail, and more

  Learn the answer to this and more of your challenging HIPAA questions.

• Major privacy breaches: How to respond to their unique challenges with notifying patients, government

  All organizations must develop a plan for every scenario, even the nightmares you’d prefer...

Issue 6, June 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Plan for the future and trust that your revamped policies are sound

  You don’t have to know everything about new technology at once. Instead, start by following...

• Risk and reward: Assess vulnerabilities now; avoid breaches later

  Risk assessment is a process intended to protect the enterprise, its assets, and its ability to...

• Q&A: Hospice staff, remote paperwork, and more

  The answers to your challenging HIPAA questions.

• AAHC: Privacy rule an obstacle course for biomedical research; HIPAA must be revisited

  In January, the AAHC published The HIPAA Privacy Rule: Lacks Patient Benefit, Impedes Research...

Issue 5, May 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HITECH Act: Understand the changes to BA agreements

  Until HHS issues guidance illustrating how covered entities should respond to this section of the...

• HITECH Act: Guidance, deadlines on the horizon

  Provisions of the HITECH Act are only the starting point. Timetables, deadlines, guidance, and...

• Q&A: E-mail communication, home computer use, business associates, and more

  We have the answers to your HIPAA compliance questions.

• Product watch: Consider NetMRI to help ensure remote access security

  NetMRI, which has been available since 2000, helps address one of the HIPAA security rule audit...

Issue 4, April 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Enforcement reaches new level: HITECH Act features stiffer penalties for privacy breaches

  Experts say healthcare organizations need to familiarize themselves with the new HIPAA provisions...

• Q&A: Workers' compensation, minors' privacy, and more

  Learn the answers to the toughest questions on HIPAA from our experts

• WEDI publishes recommendations for 835 implementation

  The SWG wants to fix the inconsistent implementation and use of the 835 Health Care Claim...

Issue 3, March 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• California steps up efforts to protect PHI; other states may follow

  Beware, organizations with nosey hospital staff members: California is getting serious about...

• Get administration, board members on board with compliance program

  As a leader in your organization’s compliance department, you understand how important it is...

• Q&A: Patient answering machines, e-mail communications, and more

  Q. With the patient’s permission, are we allowed to leave diagnostic test results on his or...

• DeviceLock protects against data theft

  Data leakage—the loss, theft, or inappropriate downloading of confidential...

• Protect your organization’s wallet: Comply with PCI DSS

  On October 1, 2008, the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) updated its...

• PCI DSS FAQs

  Q. Who has been providing feedback on the draft standards since you announced version 1.2 in May...

Issue 2, February 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• PHRs: New consumer-driven trend can lead to better care, but also privacy challenges

  As healthcare continues its push toward more transparency, consumers are taking a more proactive...

• Deceased patients' PHI, secure text messaging, and more

  by Chris Apgar, CISSP Q. Funeral homes sometimes call requesting a deceased patient’s Social...

• Physician offices: Tackle a different set of privacy training challenges; ensure compliance with HIPAA guideline

  Inside their physicians’ offices, patients can find the personalized care they might find...

• Address data encryption in 2009

  Eat better, go to the gym more often, and take up a hobby; these are all fine New Year’s...

• Homegrown training video garners rave reviews

  Mandatory HIPAA training is usually met with the same excitement as a trip to the dentist. Sure...

Issue 1, January 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 2009 HIPAA forecast

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report October 27, 2008, regarding how well CMS is...

• Protect your patients and avoid an audit

  Providence Health & Services in Seattle is paying the price for violating HIPAA. A $100,000...

• BA agreements: Prevent problems and eliminate loopholes

  If you aren’t careful, your business associate (BA) agreements can become so filled with...

• Redemtec offers solid asset management

  To have sound risk management, you must properly account for and manage hardware assets throughout...

• Q&A: Children in office, cell phone use, and more

  Answers to the toughest HIPAA security and privacy questions.