Home Newsletters

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.

2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Issue 12, December 1, 2009 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Develop effective strategies for your breach notification response program

  Be determined and thorough, but also patient as you gather evidence and develop a smart game plan...

• Limit your risk; address snooping problems swiftly, harshly

  Covered entities must strive to protect PHI against employees who snoop with preparation, strong...

• HHS unveils online breach notification forms; experts say they’re ‘straightforward,’ user-friendly

  The forms ended speculation about how HHS wanted covered entities to submit breach notifications to...

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

• 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...

• AAHC: Privacy rule directly affects multisite research, subject participation

  Rebecca Herold, CISSP, CIPP, CISM, CISA, privacy, security, and compliance consultant at Rebecca...

• Update: Economy slowing growth of electronic health record implementation in hospitals

  With the rapidly changing healthcare landscape, the study’s authors continue to follow up on...

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

• Demonstrate differences in EHRs and PHRs

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

• Experts: Expect more enforcement as OCR role expands

  OCR now will determine whether HIPAA security standards preempt any state laws, impose financial...

• EHRs, incentives on the horizon

  The biggest difference between the two is that the patient has access to and the ability to change...

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

• Money, money, money: Privacy breaches get costly

  The cost of a privacy breach far exceeds any fines authorized by the Health Information for...

• AAHC: Academic health centers, researchers’ time hamstrung by privacy rule

  The HIPAA privacy rule’s administrative requirements overwhelm many committees that approve...

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

• Case study: Create a culture of HIPAA compliance

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

• AAHC: HIPAA privacy rule has significant effect on research administration, processes

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

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

  Perhaps the most revealing results pertained to research administration and processes, where the...

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

• Breach notification requirements: FTC, HHS move forward with PHR breach notification guidelines

  The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act specifies the...

• Compliance update: FTC moves Red Flags Rule compliance deadline to August 1

  The FTC announced in early May that it delayed enforcement of the rule to give creditors and...

• 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

• AAHC: Privacy rule an obstacle course for biomedical research

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

• BA agreements: Consider additions to new contracts

  This isn?t the time for any drastic change with your BA contracts, but several measures can make...

• Study: Hospitals far from having fully implemented EHRs

  System maintenance, physician resistance, and lack of available staff members with adequate IT...

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

• The HITECH Act and your organization

  The HITECH Act is changing HIPAA provisions. Are you prepared?

• Consider privacy education for patients: Weigh the costs and benefits of going beyond NPPs

  Just because the law doesn?t require you to educate patients on their HIPAA rights doesn?t mean you...

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

• Mark it down: Red flags rule compliance deadline is May 1

  There were 10 million victims of identity theft in the United States in 2008, a quarter of which...

• Experts: HIE guidance just a framework for successful compliance

  The OCR’s Privacy and Security Toolkit offers providers useful tips to facilitate the safe...

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

• Get administration, board members to support your compliance program

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

• Healthcare operations: How to approach the privacy rule's ambiguity

  When the OCR revised the HIPAA privacy rule in 2003, it specified accepted uses and disclosures for...

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

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

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

• Physician offices: Tackle a different set of privacy training challenges

  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...

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

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

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

• 2009 HIPAA forecast

  Now that 2008 is in the books, it’s time to look ahead and explore the privacy and security...

• BA agreements: Prevent problems and eliminate loopholes

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

• OCR complaints: Simple steps to smooth resolutions

  If your organization receives a letter from the OCR stating that someone has filed a privacy...