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Course "HIPAA Security & Privacy Official - Roles and Responsibilities" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: Being the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official involves not only ensuring you know the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your HIPAA Security and Privacy Official needs to understand what all the HIPAA requirements are or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive seminar. Why you should attend: The HIPAA Security and Privacy Official is the backbone of any organization's compliance program. Often times this role is assigned as collateral duty in smaller organizations. Regardless the size of an organization, the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official must know all the requirements for compliance. This is a critical element of the position. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding the role and all the requirements as the designated as a HIPAA Security and Privacy Official. This seminar will cover reviews, creation, and amending policy and procedure. After completing this course, a HIPAA Security and Privacy Official will have a clear understanding for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? The Role and Responsibilities of the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official Complying with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security

Course "HIPAA - Putting an Organizational Compliance Program in Place" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your healthcare practice, business, or organization needs to understand how to put HIPAA compliance program in place or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive 2 day training course. Why you should attend With an increase in HIPAA enforcement and Phase 2 audits underway, many organizations need to fully understand the requirements of a compliance program. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements for a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and what steps need to be taken to mitigate risk. The seminar will include practical exercise to assist in knowing how to develop, review, and amend HIPAA policy and procedure. After completing this course, a Covered Entity or Business Associate will have a clear roadmap for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session * Why was HIPAA created? * What is HITECH and the Omnibus Rule? * Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? * What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? * What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? * What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? * What is meant by

Course "HIPAA - Putting an Organizational Compliance Program in Place" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your healthcare practice, business, or organization needs to understand how to put HIPAA compliance program in place or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive 2 day training course. Why you should attend: With an increase in HIPAA enforcement and Phase 2 audits underway, many organizations need to fully understand the requirements of a compliance program. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements for a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and what steps need to be taken to mitigate risk. The seminar will include practical exercise to assist in knowing how to develop, review, and amend HIPAA policy and procedure. After completing this course, a Covered Entity or Business Associate will have a clear roadmap for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: · Why was HIPAA created? · What is HITECH and the Omnibus Rule? · Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? · What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? · What i

Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your organization needs to understand the role of the HIPAA Security Official, the requirements, and make sure the current compliance program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive course. Why should you Attend: The role of the HIPAA Security Official is critically important in complying with the HIPAA Security Rule. Besides being responsible for many of the daily operations within an organization, the Security Official is tasked with managing the HIPAA compliance program. Knowing what is required is part of the Security Official's duties. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements for a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and to make sure on organization has the proper policies and procedures in place. After completing this course, a HIPAA Security Official will have a clear understanding for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? The Role of the HIPAA Security Official What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? What is meant by "Required" and "Addressable" Implementation Specifications? What are Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Requirements? What is a HIPAA Risk Asses

Course "HIPAA for the Compliance Officer" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: I will be going into great detail regarding you practice or business and how it relates to the HIPAA Security/Privacy Rule, Areas covered will be history of HIPAA, privacy vs security, business associates, changes for 2016, audit process, paper based PHI, HIPAA and suing, texting, email, encryption, medical messaging, voice data and much, much, more I will uncover myths versus reality as it relates to this very enigmatic law based on over 600 risk assessments performed as well as years of experience in dealing directly with the Office of Civil Rights HIPAA auditors. I will also speak to real life audits conducted by the Federal government (I've been on both sides of these audits) what your highest risks are for being fined (some of the risk factors may surprise you). In addition, this course will cover the highest risk factors for being sued for wrongful disclosures of PHI and the manner in which patients are now using state laws to sue for wrongful disclosures. Don't always believe what you read online about HIPAA, especially as it relates to encryption and IT, there are a lot of groups selling more than is necessarily required. Why you should attend: This lesson will be addressing how practice/business managers (or compliance offers) need to get their HIPAA house in order before the imminent audits occur. It will also address major changes under the Omnibus Rule and any other applicable updates for 2016. There are an enormous amount of issues and risks for covered entities and business associates these days. I will speak on specific experiences from over 17 years of experience in working as an outsourced compliance auditor, expert witness on HIPAA cases, and thoroughly explain how patients are now able to get cash remedies for wrongful disclosures of private health information. More im

Overview: The webinar will concentrate on topics that HHS has announced will be the focus of the first round of "desk audits". They reflect significant areas of non-compliance revealed in the 2012 pilot audits and HHS HIPAA violation investigations concluded by Resolution Agreements and Corrective Action Plans. They include: HIPAA Risk Analysis Risk Management based on Risk Analysis Breach Notification Notice of Privacy Practices (for Covered Entities) Minimum Necessary Standard Access of Individuals to their PHI Authorizations Workforce Training This webinar is vital because, in focusing on preparation for a HIPAA Compliance Audit, Covered Entities and Business Associates may review, prioritize and structure their HIPAA Compliance programs. If you have HIPAA Compliance documentation ready to submit on two weeks notice to HHS you are implementing an effective HIPAA Compliance program. In addition, every Covered Entity or Business Associate may face an HHS HIPAA Compliance investigation at any time due to a complaint or a Breach. If you are "audit ready" you will be ready for an investigation - and better able to avoid complaints and prevent breaches. Why should you attend: Every Covered Entity and Business Associate is liable - without prior notice - to be audited for HIPAA Compliance by HHS You will have only 2 weeks after receiving your HIPAA Compliance Audit notification and data request to upload all requested documents to an HHS HIPAA Compliance Audit Portal The HIPAA Compliance Audit data request you receive will specify content and file organization, file names and any other document submission requirements Auditors will not contact an audited entity for clarifications or ask for additional information - it is essential that submitted documents are current, accurately reflect the entity's HIPAA Compliance program and demonstrate HIPAA Compliance Only data submitted on time will be assessed Failure to respond on time may be referred to the HHS regional

Course "Texting and E-mail with Patients: Patient Requests and Complying with HIPAA " has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: With the recent advances in portable technology, more and more organizations and their users are taking advantage of mobile devices to save time and get work done more efficiently. Texting, portable e-mail, and Apps are revolutionizing the ways health care providers interact with their patients and get their work done. But the use of these devices comes with hidden costs of compliance, especially if they lead to a reportable breach under HIPAA or state laws. HIPAA Privacy and Security Officers have been struggling to keep up with the use of the devices to protect patient privacy and avoid compliance issues. Even if these devices aren't in formal use in your organization, you need to act now to anticipate their use and make sure they are used properly. This session is designed to provide intensive, two-day training in HIPAA compliance as it relates to the use of mobile devices, including how to use them with Protected Health Information, the policies and procedures you need to have in place to use them securely, and how to manage issues of the "BYOD" phenomenon. The session provides the background and details for any manager of health information privacy and security to know what issues to look for with mobile devices, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement will be explained, as well as privacy and security breaches and how to prevent them. Numerous references and sample documents will be provided. The session will be valuable for both newcomers to HIPAA compliance as well as seasoned veterans. HIPAA compliance will be explained and discussed in detail, from the basics through the latest changes and new technology issues, so that the attendee will have a coherent u

Overview: As defined by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a Business Associate can be any organization or person working in association with or providing services to a Covered Entity who handles or discloses Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personal Health Records (PHR). With certain exceptions, a person or entity that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits PHI for a function or activity regulated by the HIPAA Privacy Rule for a Covered Entity is a Business Associate. The HITECH Act, a recent update made to overall HIPAA regulations require Business Associates to comply with HIPAA mandates regarding the handling and use of health information. As a Business Associate you must comply with a wide-range of regulatory obligations, including certain privacy obligations, security standards, and breach notification requirements. If your business needs to understand what it means to be a Business Associate and know what required safeguards, policies and procedures must be in place or make sure your current compliance program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive session. Why should you Attend: There is a lot of confusion about the role and requirements of being a Business Associate. Organizations must be prepared prior to entering into these contracts for services as a vendor and subcontractor. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements that must be in place for the Business Associate - Covered Entity arrangement. After completing this course, a Business Associate will have a clear understanding as to what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? What are the Consequences of being a Business Associate What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? What is a HIPAA Risk Mana

Overview: One of the major requirements of the health care organization to be HIPAA compliant is to develop and implement a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures. This can be a daunting task for those not knowing where to start and what a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures should look like. For the cost conscious health care organization, the HIPAA policies and procedures can have multiple uses: first, they can become a basis for training the health care organization workforce; second, they can be used as a basis for conducting a HIPAA self-assessment; and third, they can be used to demonstrate due diligence should there be a breach or an externalHIPAA compliance audit. In today's world it is not necessary that the health care organization spend significant funds to develop a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures from scratch. The health care organization can likely find templates on the internet that can be used as a starting point to customize HIPAA policies and procedures to be unique for the health care organization. The preparation of a well-documented set of HIPAA policies and procedures needs to be addressed through the development of Privacy and Security policies and procedures that address each of the requirements shown in the HIPAA regulations as amended by the HITECH law and the final Omnibus Regulations. The process of developing the HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures also provides a reference for the health care organization how to consider the security addressable and required regulation requirements. Why should you attend: There are three situations where having a set of HIPAA policies and procedures are needed: First, the policies and procedures become a good reference to ensure that all areas are addressed for becoming HIPAA compliant. Second, the HIPAA regulations REQUIRE covered entities and business associates to have a set of policies and procedures directing t

Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your healthcare practice or office manager needs to understand what all the HIPAA requirements are or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive course.  Why should you Attend: The practice or office manager is the backbone of any healthcare office. Besides being responsible for many of the daily operations within an office, the practice manager is often tasked with managing the HIPAA compliance program. Knowing what is required is critically important.  Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements for a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and to make sure the practice has the proper policies and procedures in place. After completing this course, a practice or office manager will have a clear understanding for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations.  Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? The Role of the HIPAA Security and Privacy Official What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? What is meant by "Required" and "Addressable" Implementation Specifications? What are Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Requirements? What is a HIPAA Risk Assessment? What are HIPAA training requirements?

Overview: In this session we will discuss the HIPAA audit and enforcement programs and how they work, and discuss the areas that caused the most issues in prior audits. We will explore what kind of issues and what kind of entities had the most problems, and show where entities need to improve their compliance the most. We will also explore the typical risk issues that lead to breaches of health information and see how those issues may be a target for auditors in the new 2016 audits. We will review the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol used in 2012 to show what documentation needs to be on hand should your organization be selected for an audit in the new round. We will present methods for using the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol to build your own compliance plan by extracting and updating the contents and relating your compliance activities directly to the questions that might be asked. In this session we will discuss the HIPAA audit and enforcement regulations and processes, and how they apply to HIPAA covered entities and business associates. We will explain the enforcement regulations and the new, increased fines and new penalty levels, including new penalties for willful neglect of compliance that begin at $10,000. We will discuss what information and documentation must be prepared in advance so that you can be ready for an audit at any time, including sample information request forms and questions asked at prior audits. The session will also cover how to know if you may become the subject of an audit or enforcement action, and what you can do to help limit your exposure. We will discuss how most enforcement actions come about and what can be done to prevent incidents that lead to enforcement activity. The HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification regulations (and the recent changes to them) and how they will be audited will be explained. Documentation requirements for compliance will be explored and a framework of security policies necessary

Overview: With the recent advances in portable technology, more and more organizations and their users are taking advantage of mobile devices to save time and get work done more efficiently. Texting, portable e-mail, and Apps are revolutionizing the ways health care providers interact with their patients and get their work done. But the use of these devices comes with hidden costs of compliance, especially if they lead to a reportable breach under HIPAA or state laws. HIPAA Privacy and Security Officers have been struggling to keep up with the use of the devices to protect patient privacy and avoid compliance issues. Even if these devices aren't in formal use in your organization, you need to act now to anticipate their use and make sure they are used properly. This session is designed to provide intensive, two-day training in HIPAA compliance as it relates to the use of mobile devices, including how to use them with Protected Health Information, the policies and procedures you need to have in place to use them securely, and how to manage issues of the "BYOD" phenomenon. The session provides the background and details for any manager of health information privacy and security to know what issues to look for with mobile devices, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement will be explained, as well as privacy and security breaches and how to prevent them. Numerous references and sample documents will be provided. The session will be valuable for both newcomers to HIPAA compliance as well as seasoned veterans. HIPAA compliance will be explained and discussed in detail, from the basics through the latest changes and new technology issues, so that the attendee will have a coherent understanding of not only the rules, but also how to think about compliance and make sound compliance decisions on a day-to-day basis in the context of mobile devices. Agenda Day One Day one sets the stage with an ov

Overview: One of the major requirements of the health care organization to be HIPAA compliant is to develop and implement a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures. This can be a daunting task for those not knowing where to start and what a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures should look like. For the cost conscious health care organization, the HIPAA policies and procedures can have multiple uses: first, they can become a basis for training the health care organization workforce; second, they can be used as a basis for conducting a HIPAA self-assessment; and third, they can be used to demonstrate due diligence should there be a breach or an externalHIPAA compliance audit. In today's world it is not necessary that the health care organization spend significant funds to develop a set of HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures from scratch. The health care organization can likely find templates on the internet that can be used as a starting point to customize HIPAA policies and procedures to be unique for the health care organization. The preparation of a well-documented set of HIPAA policies and procedures needs to be addressed through the development of Privacy and Security policies and procedures that address each of the requirements shown in the HIPAA regulations as amended by the HITECH law and the final Omnibus Regulations. The process of developing the HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures also provides a reference for the health care organization how to consider the security addressable and required regulation requirements. Why should you attend: There are three situations where having a set of HIPAA policies and procedures are needed: First, the policies and procedures become a good reference to ensure that all areas are addressed for becoming HIPAA compliant. Second, the HIPAA regulations REQUIRE covered entities and business associates to have a set of policies and procedures directing

Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the understanding the fundamentals of a HIPAA and how you will be required to demonstrate your organization's compliance program. If your healthcare practice, business, or organization needs to understand how to be prepared for an increase in HIPAA enforcement and make sure your current safeguards are adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive course. Why should you Attend: BAll most 120,000,000 individuals were affected by HIPAA data breaches in 2015. This is a significant reason why Congress has inquired about the recent and very sizeable increases in cyber-attacks that inflect the risk of medical identity theft. The HHS Office for Civil Rights not only are conducting audits but is looking to increase HIPAA enforcement. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements that must be in place for HIPAA and how to demonstrate compliance if audited. After completing this course, a Covered Entity or Business Associate will be able to know what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? What is meant by "Required" and "Addressable" Implementation Specifications? What are Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Requirements? What is a HIPAA Risk Assessment? What are HIPAA training requirement

Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance program. If your healthcare practice, business, or organization needs to understand how to put HIPAA compliance program in place or make sure the current program is adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive course. Why should you Attend: With an increase in HIPAA enforcement and Phase 2 audits underway, many organizations need to fully understand the requirements of a compliance program. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements for a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and what steps need to taken to mitigate risk. After completing this course, a Covered Entity or Business Associate will have a clear roadmap for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? What is a HIPAA Compliance Program? What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? What is meant by "Required" and "Addressable" Implementation Specifications? What are Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Requirements? What is a HIPAA Risk Assessment? What are HIPAA training requirements? What is a HIPAA data breach and what happens if it occurs? What are the penalties and fines for non-compliance and how to avoid them? Creating a Culture of Compliance Questions Who Will Benefit: Com

Course "The A to Z's of HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: This session is designed to provide intensive, two-day training in HIPAA compliance, including what's new in the regulations, what's changed recently, and what needs to be addressed for compliance by covered entities and business associates. The session provides the background and details for any manager of healthcare information privacy and security to know what are the most important privacy and security issues, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement will be explained, as well as privacy and security breaches and how to prevent them. Numerous references and sample documents will be provided. Who Will Benefit: * Information Security Officers * Risk Managers * Compliance Officers * Privacy Officers * Health Information Managers * Information Technology Managers * Medical Office Managers * Chief Financial Officers * Systems Managers * Legal Counsel * Operations Directors Agenda: Day One Day one sets the stage with an overview of the HIPAA regulations and then continues with presentation of the specifics of the Privacy Rule, recent changes to the rules, and the basics of the Security Rule Lecture 1: Overview of HIPAA Regulations * The Origins and Purposes of HIPAA * Privacy Rule History and Objectives * Security Rule History and Objectives * Breach Notification Requirements, Benefits, and Results Lecture 2: HIPAA Privacy Rule Principles, Policies and Procedures * Patient Rights under HIPAA * Limitations on Uses and Disclosures * Required Policies and Procedures * Training and Documentation Requirements Lecture 3: Recent and Proposed Changes to the HIPAA Rules * New Penalty Structure * New HIPAA Audit Program * New Patient Rights

Course "New HIPAA Audit and Enforcement Activities: Being Prepared to Show your Compliance " has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: We will be discussing the history and evolution of HIPAA Privacy/Security and the major points you need to understand to proactively protect your practice or business from the imminent federal auditing process: * History of HIPAA * HITECH * HIPAA Omnibus Rule * How to perform a HIPAA Security Risk Assessment * What is involved in a Federal audit and how is it conducted * Risk factors for a federal audit * How to avoid a Federal audit * Business Associates and HIPAA audits * EHR and HIPAA * Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Planning * Assessing your contractors and sub-contractors * In depth discussions on IT down to the nuts and bolts * Risk factors that can cause an audit (low hanging fruit) * New rules which grant states ability to sue citing HIPAA on behalf of a patient * New funding measures Why should you attend : The evolutions of this enigmatic law and how what was once relative benign in terms of enforcement is now fully funded and aggressive. Learn what you can do to be prepared for an audit and how to lower risks of ever being audited. It is absolutely imperative that you are proactive and not reactive with your compliance program, this is a necessary evil and you need to protect your practice or your business and limit risks from the imminent Federal audits. Join me in keeping up with this very confusing law and take advantage of all the templates and information provided as part of the seminar. Areas Covered in the Session: * HIPAA -Brief History * HIPAA Privacy Rule vs HIPAA Security Rule * HITECH Act * Breach Notification Rule * Omnibus Rule and audits * Business Associates and audits * Current Court Cases (precedence) * Paper Based PHI Concerns and how to lower risk

HIPAA Enforcement trends : Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a legislation of the American Congress. HIPAA enforcement consists of taking steps to confirm that rules set out in HIPAA are being complied with by the requisite entities. Primarily passed with the intention of ensuring that employees do not lose their health insurance benefits when they change or leave their current jobs; this 1996 law also has the protection and security of Protected Health Information (PHI) as one of its chief aims. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces actions relating to HIPAA, imposes harsh penalties on healthcare organizations and Business Associates and Covered Entities that are proven to be in noncompliance of HIPAA requirements. What are HIPAA enforcement actions? The actions that the OCR takes to ensure implementation of HIPAA provisions constitute the essence of HIPAA enforcement actions. There are a good number of areas which the OCR can cite as constituting cases of HIPAA violations or noncompliance. A look at recent HIPAA enforcement actions point to a trend. These trends serve as an indicator of what to expect from HIPAA enforcement actions, which will help entities get some idea of what they should implement and what they should not and thus prevent being cited by the OCR. Security risk assessments are the foremost element of HIPAA enforcement actions: A look at recent trends suggests that HIPAA enforcement actions mainly target security risk assessments. This leads to harsh penalties, as happened in the case of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP). The hefty $ 4.8 million penalty slapped in 2014 on this hospital was for data breach caused by insufficient security risk assessment. While this is the biggest sum fined; the OCR issued at least three other hospitals for putting in place inadequate security risk assessments in 2014. Risk management comes a close second: If inadequate security risk assessments come first in te

HIPAA Survival Guide: The HIPAA Survival Guide is a set of practical help guides that seek to make compliance with HIPAA and HITECH easy for providers. This kit is some kind of checklist on what to keep in mind and implement to survive a HIPAA audit. The HIPAA Survival Guide was created as a need to comply with the HIPAA audit requirements. It evolved as a response to simplifying the HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule without its legal complexity. In other words, the framers of this Guide have developed this concept strictly as a guide, rather than as a legally enforceable set of rules. "Forest from the trees" approach: The HIPAA Survival Guide came into being in order to help users understand HIPAA and HITECH better. The approach the developers of this Guide adapted was what was called the "forest from the trees" way, because the aim was to help users navigate and wade through the complex text. It was aimed at helping them chaff and finesse the parts that required their compliance into simple terms. HIPAA Survival Guide is thus not a strict, legislative Act that lays down rules for conformity. No wonder, it was developed by the joint efforts of a Registered Nurse and an Attorney, who wanted to facilitate a greater understanding of the legislation's audit requirements. The basis on which this Guide came into existence was the HIPAA and HITECH background. It concerns itself with only the part of HIPAA and HITECH relating to a part of Covered Entities, namely providers. This is deliberate, since the aim of this Guide is to help small providers with guidelines aimed at simplifying their task. Important steps for HIPAA survival: The fundamental goal of the HIPAA Survival Guide is to equip providers with the knowledge of what needs to be kept in order and fine-tuned if they have to meet regulatory requirements. These are the thumb rules for the HIPAA Survival Guide: Documenting the provider's privacy, security and breach policies and revie

Overview: Being in compliance with HIPAA involves not only ensuring you provide the appropriate patient rights and controls on your uses and disclosures of protected health information, but you also have the proper policies and procedures in place. If audited or the subject of a compliance review you will be required to show the government you have all the necessary documentation in place for safeguarding patient Protected Health Information and indicate how you addressed all required security safeguards. This starts with the understanding the fundamentals of a HIPAA compliance. If your healthcare practice, business, or organization needs to understand what is required to protect health records or make sure your current safeguards are adequate and can withstand government scrutiny, please join us for this informative and interactive course. Why should you Attend: With a substantial increase HIPAA data breaches, organizations must understand the requirements to safeguard protected health information. Attendees will leave the course clearly understanding of all the requirements that must be in place for protecting the health records their organizations maintain, create, transmit, or store. After completing this course, a Covered Entity or Business Associate will have a clear understanding for what needs to be place when it comes to all of the HIPAA regulations. Areas Covered in the Session: Why was HIPAA created? Who Must Comply with HIPAA Requirements? What are the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules? What is a HIPAA Risk Management Plan? What is meant by "Required" and "Addressable" Implementation Specifications? What are Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards Requirements? What is a HIPAA Risk Assessment? What are HIPAA training requirements? What is a HIPAA data breach and what happens if it occurs? What are the penalties and fines for non-compliance and how to avoid them? Creating a Culture of Compliance Questions Who Will Benefit: Compliance Of