When OCR resumes its HIPAA audits sometime this year, healthcare organizations can expect members of the audit team to focus on key issues identified by the federal agency.
The HITECH Act, which included changes to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, was signed into law by President Obama in February 2009?a full five years ago.
As healthcare organizations launch their own patient portals, there are many privacy and security issues to address. A patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient access to their PHI and allows them to communicate with their healthcare providers, including physicians and hospitals.
Although the majority of the provisions of the HIPAA Omnibus Rule have become effective, many Breach Notification Rule revisions cause confusion for organizations.
Hospitals can make better use of their electronic health record (EHR) system's audit functions not only to guard patient privacy but also to help prevent healthcare fraud, according to a new HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report.
