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Every issue of Health Information Compliance Insider is packed with ready-to-use information worth thousands of dollars to you and your organization, like advance warning from Washington on when to expect changes to and guidance on HIPAA regulations and compliance advice from leading health care lawyers.

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Health Information Compliance Insider

Issue 12, December 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• JCAHO's confidentiality, data-security standards reflect HIPAA regulations

  When it comes to patient confidentiality and information security, organizations have a lot more...

• Q&A with CMS

  Highlights from the latest NPI roundtable The May 23, 2007, NPI compliance date is fast...

• Work with marketing to ensure compliance

  It's a familiar business fact that it's much easier and cheaper to sell to your existing customers...

Issue 11, November 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Address patient privacy when going electronic

  The transition from paper to electronic health records (EHR) brings many advantages, including...

• Work with legal counsel to define 'healthcare operations'

  By now, most organizations understand which uses and disclosures fall under treatment or payment...

• N.O. hospital puts care first when faced with disaster

  When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005, it left Children's Hospital closed for six...

Issue 10, October 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Looking back on privacy

  It's been almost six years since HHS first published the final privacy rule and more than three...

• Map data flow, clean existing data to prepare for NPI

  To be prepared to move into the new NPI environment, you must create several crosswalks to be able...

• HIPAA doesn't have to get in the way of marketing

  In general, HIPAA's privacy rule requires prior authorization from individuals when organizations...

Issue 9, September 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Provide periodic HIPAA reminders to increase employee awareness

  Staff receive so much training-on compliance, accreditation, Medicare fraud and abuse, and...

• NPIs

  Q: How will the transition from existing legacy numbers to NPIs change the way we submit electronic...

Issue 8, August 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Make ongoing auditing a part of your compliance efforts

  Your organization needs to have the appropriate policies and procedures in place to comply with...

• Improve training with case scenarios, open communication, and follow-up

  If you've been training your staff on the privacy regulations, stop! You should be training them on...

• Work with payers, trading partners now to ensure a successful transition to NPIs

  It's not enough for your organization to obtain NPIs. Your plan for making the transition from...

Issue 7, July 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Include more than IT when building your NPI team

  NPI implementation is not just a job for your information technology (IT) staff. The process is a...

• Preserve electronic data to prepare for potential litigation

  Regardless of it's size or how well it's operated, any organization can find itself involved in a...

• Make EHR policies coincide with privacy

  Setting HIPAA privacy apart from the confidentiality and release of information can be confusing...

Issue 6, June 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Expect new, existing privacy regulations to maintain focus

  It's been 10 years since HHS first published the HIPAA regulations. Compliance dates have passed...

• Focus on authorization, documentation before sharing PHI with friends and family

  When it comes to HIPAA, there are grey areas in which it's not always clear whether a use or...

Issue 5, May 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Make networking, monitoring part of compliance efforts

  It may come as shock to some healthcare professionals, but the fat lady has not sung when it comes...

• Weigh requirements, desire to keep patients informed when changing your NPP

  Don't waste effort resending notices, but maintain appropriate communication Years have passed...

• Bring balance to your privacy investigations

  Learn how one privacy officer uses violations to educate A privacy investigation can be a...

Issue 4, April 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Help staff avoid having a HIPAA emergency in the ED

  Hectic environment creates unique challenges Although a goal of HIPAA is to protect patient...

• Electronic claims attachment pilot shows promise

  Providers, payers save money by going paperless As your organization awaits the final claims...

• HHS publishes HIPAA’s final enforcement rule

  All administrative simplification provisions now covered Editor’s note: As of press time...

Issue 3, March 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Make HIPAA training the gift that you keep on giving

  Tailor educational efforts to strengths, weaknesses Much has changed since the U.S. Department...

• Sample notice of privacy practices

  Editor’s note: The following is a sample notice of privacy practices (NPP) from Gila River...

• Respond to patients’ privacy complaints by providing stellar customer service

  Appropriately addressing concerns can help save your facility’s reputation At the least...

Issue 2, February 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Law enforcement requests

  Keep PHI behind bars until you consult HIPAA, state laws Juggling law enforcement and HIPAA...

• Clarify the rules for marketing under HIPAA

  Train staff about which communications require patient authorization During the period before...

• Help patients understand privacy notice

  Convincing patients to sign acknowledgements of receipt for your organization's notice of privacy...

Issue 1, January 1, 2006 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Follow these four tips for effective preemption analysis

  State laws more stringent than HIPAA supersede the privacy and security regulations. But...

• Prepare now for NPI implementation to ensure business as usual later on

  Two areas likely to be the most problematic during your organization’s transition from legacy...

• Identify, document unique business relationships to ensure compliance with HIPAA

  Understand the difference between affiliated entities, OHCAs, and hybrids If the HIPAA...