Privacy and information security programs in healthcare organizations have developed and matured to meet the requirements of HIPAA and other federal and state laws. In some organizations, providers and managers struggle to keep pace with the changes. Expanded focus on EHR technology and new threats to the security of personally identifiable information (e.g., healthcare, financial, educational, employment) will further affect privacy and information security programs in the future.
Q: If someone calls a facility to schedule an appointment for a patient, is it a violation of HIPAA to admit the patient receives care at the practice? For example, the practice where I work often helps victims of domestic abuse.
Q: I am currently working on a social media usage policy for the organization where I work. I often notisce that some of my friends in the healthcare industry will post about patients on social media website.
1. Phase 2 of OCR's HIPAA audits will be desk audits, which means OCR will not conduct on-site audits of covered entities (CE) and business associates (BA) unless resources are available.
A mobile workforce in the healthcare industry presents a unique set of HIPAA privacy and security challenges. As the number of large HIPAA breaches increases and OCR ramps up audits, organizations cannot afford to risk their bottom line and reputation by failing to protect patient privacy and security.
