Briefings on HIPAA

Care coordination has been at the heart of recent healthcare redesign efforts, which includes integrating primary care with behavioral and mental healthcare, but misunderstandings about how and when HIPAA applies can lead to unnecessary delays and leave organizations vulnerable to compliance risks.

If a lawyer hits you with a subpoena for a patient’s protected health information, don’t panic—or you may not only violate the patient’s privacy rights under HIPAA, but also be subject to civil action under state law.

In this month's security Q&A, our expert answers questions on the location of data backups, telehealth services using video conferencing, cloud service providers outside the U.S., and more!

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.

Hospital mergers and acquisitions remain the trend, and many hospital systems and other healthcare organizations cover multiple states, so understanding and keeping track of different state privacy laws can get complicated.

Gaps in mobile security remain a threat to your protected health information and leave you vulnerable to HIPAA violations, so train and, if necessary, restrain employees to reduce the risk.

In this month's HIPAA Q&A, our expert answers questions on shared insurance policies, posting thank-you notes in employee-only areas, referrals to Part 2 facilities, and more!