On April 18, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) added five new answers to their FAQ section on the relationship between HIPAA and health apps that use patient information.
There are fewer hoops to jump through when another provider requests a practice’s patient records than when an attorney requests them, but the requesting providers don’t have an automatic right to those records, and you can’t just hand them over.
Once you understand the basics of privacy and disclosure of PHI under HIPAA, strive to keep staff trained. According to Section 164.530 (b) of the Privacy Rule, a covered entity must train all members of their workforce on the policies and procedures with respect to PHI as necessary and appropriate.
CMS released a bulletin April 10 on behalf of HHS seeking providers to participate in a volunteer Provider Pilot Program to test the process for reviewing compliance with its HIPAA Administrative Simplification rules.
