News & Analysis

September 1, 2014
Briefings on HIPAA

The OCR continues to crack down on HIPAA breaches, but it also paused to take a look back at past incidents in two annual reports to Congress. The reports, which were released in May, summarize the reported 2011?2012 HIPAA breach and compliance activities as required by the HITECH Act. Although the data presented in the reports details the events from prior years, the causes of the breaches reported to and investigated by OCR are still relevant?and problematic?for healthcare organizations today.

September 1, 2014
Briefings on HIPAA

With so many moving parts in a healthcare organization, privacy and security incidents are sometimes difficult to track and manage.

September 1, 2014
Briefings on HIPAA

Hardware end-of-life data destruction presents a challenge in the world of healthcare. Whether the data is stored on a laptop, server, or even large biomedical equipment, the data needs to be properly destroyed before being repurposed. Green Delete, Inc., (GDI) offers secure, on-site data destruction that is efficient, quick, and environmentally friendly.

September 1, 2014
Briefings on HIPAA

Q: I am employed by an acute care psychiatric hospital. The hospital's police department will sometimes take photographs of injuries patients have at the time of admission.

September 1, 2014
Briefings on HIPAA

Tips from this month's issue

September 1, 2014
Briefings on APCs

When CMS releases rules, the length can be intimidating. But even at a relatively slim 700 pages, the 2015 OPPS proposed rule isn't able to include details on each of the changes CMS is planning. This is probably a good thing?otherwise the rules could be thousands of pages long. Updates like codes being moved around or status indicators changing often aren't described in full in the narrative text, necessitating a deeper look at the addenda CMS releases as Excel® files on its website.

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