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Overview: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program

Overview: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program

Implementation of Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research is critical One of the prime areas of clinical studies is regulatory aspects of clinical research. This applies in almost equal measure to medical research as a whole. The FDA and other regulatory bodies have spelt out a number of regulations that have to be complied with if the clinical research is to be approved. These regulatory requirements cover all aspects of clinical research. A look at some of these regulatory aspects would be instructive: FDA requirements on regulatory aspects of clinical research The FDA has an exhaustive list of regulations relating to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the area which forms the backbone of regulatory aspects of clinical research. The FDA has a series of regulations that are aimed at bringing in discipline and process into clinical research. It implements all the laws relating to GCP passed by the American Congress. At present, there are a huge number of regulatory standards and requirements that have to be complied with by those undertaking clinical research in the US. These regulations are codified in the 21 CFR series. Notable sections of the 21 CFR series relating to regulatory aspects of clinical research include: 21 CFR Part 11 21 CFR Part 16 21 CFR Part 50 21 CFR Parts 50 and 56 21 CFR Part 54 21 CFR Part 58 21 CFR Part 312 21 CFR 312.120 21 CFR Part 314 21 CFR Part 320 21 CFR Part 511 21 CFR Part 514 21 CFR Part 601 21 CFR Part 812 21 CFR Part 814 EU requirements on regulatory aspects of clinical research In the EU, the core aspect of regulatory aspects of clinical research relates to the primary importance given to the subjects in a clinical research. For example, regulatory aspects of clinical research France are guided by the Public Health Code and Civil Code. This Code contains a list of regulatory conditions clinicians are obliged to adhere to. These regulations are to be monitored by a number of regulation enforcement bodies that the French governm

Overview: Today's health care delivery occurs in a diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary health care environment. This often presents challenges to the health care professional that are not easy to navigate. Medical records and their confidentiality have long been the exclusive province of state law, but has now been recognized for some time in the federal HIPAA statutes and federal regulations. Differing and even conflicting sources of requirements at the state level still exist for the retention and disposition of medical records. These sources may vary based upon the specific health care practitioner - whether physicians, dentists, psychologists, or other health care providers, including mental health practitioners. As to the specific, individual health care practitioner, state laws mandate their confidentiality, retention, and even their specific content with regards to patient, clinical records. In addition to these clinical requirements, additional state laws set forth the content and retention of other types of records kept by the professional, such as supervisory agreements with other professionals subordinate to them as well as their own unique record content requirements. With the majority of medical records moving to an electronic format, special rules now exist with regard to the confidentiality, security, retention, and disposition of electronic medical records. This is particularly important as state laws continue to allow for and regulate the provision of telemedicine by various health care practitioners. For example, while psychotherapy and mental health services are ideal treatments to offer over the internet, that is, by simultaneous audio-visual transmission between the doctor and the patient, the risks of breaches of confidentiality also vastly increase. And when the successful doctor-patient relationship is over, how does the health care practitioner providing a mental health service dispose of these electronic records? In addit

Overview: Mental health care practitioners work in today's diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary health care environment. Nowhere but in mental health is there such diversity of clinicians who provide the same or similar services of counseling and therapy. A potential client has a wide choice of mental health providers from whom to choose. Yet each individual mental health profession has a unique education, training, and experience requirement for practice. While similarities exist, requirements differ from state to state and even from profession to profession with a single state. What are these requirements and how do they apply? The state's authority and power over mental health practitioners often presents challenges to these mental health professionals that are not easy to navigate. Differing sources of legal and ethical authority govern each respective health care practitioner in ways that are similar but not the same. Ethics and law are similar, but not the same. All mental health practitioners must adhere to standards of state law which govern their professional practices, including the very core of the doctor-patient relationship. Codes of ethics and state law may both apply to govern the conduct of this clinician. Even some state laws are referred to as ethical codes. Complaints as to alleged misconduct or ethical failings are received and investigated by a state agency and leave the mental health practitioner with an uncertain process to handle and to defend the state action against them. With this background, this seminar empowers the full understanding and application of ethics and laws for mental health practitioners. Learn to identify and understand an ethical framework for a sound mental health practice. An ethical framework is essential to having the right perspective to examine mental health dilemmas. Compare and contrast regulatory laws and codes of ethics to understand their differing applicability. Know the difference between laws and ethics,

Overview: Today's health care delivery occurs in a diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary health care environment. This often presents challenges to the health care professional that are not easy to navigate. Medical records and their confidentiality have long been the exclusive province of state law, but has now been recognized for some time in the federal HIPAA statutes and federal regulations. Differing and even conflicting sources of requirements at the state level still exist for the retention and disposition of medical records. These sources may vary based upon the specific health care practitioner - whether physicians, dentists, psychologists, or other health care providers, including mental health practitioners. As to the specific, individual health care practitioner, state laws mandate their confidentiality, retention, and even their specific content with regards to patient, clinical records. In addition to these clinical requirements, additional state laws set forth the content and retention of other types of records kept by the professional, such as supervisory agreements with other professionals subordinate to them as well as their own unique record content requirements. With the majority of medical records moving to an electronic format, special rules now exist with regard to the confidentiality, security, retention, and disposition of electronic medical records. This is particularly important as state laws continue to allow for and regulate the provision of telemedicine by various health care practitioners. For example, while psychotherapy and mental health services are ideal treatments to offer over the internet, that is, by simultaneous audio-visual transmission between the doctor and the patient, the risks of breaches of confidentiality also vastly increase. And when the successful doctor-patient relationship is over, how does the health care practitioner providing a mental health service dispose of these electronic records? In addition to

Overview: The connection between the Body, its physiology and particularly biochemistry, have been linked to the mind with particular emphasis upon emotions and stress. This can be easily substantiated in common everyday situations. Anyone who has observed a facial red flush triggered by some sort of embarrassment can attest to the foregoing connection. The emotions and stress play a key role in many if not all diseases and disorders: due to the vastness of the subject, we will focus on the application of the mind/body connection(MBC) to skin. This serves as an introduction to the field of psych dermatology which, although still in its infancy in the USA, is expanding as evidence with regard to the psychological component related to the etiology of skin diseases continues to grow. Concurrently, the field of Alternative techniques IN mind/body treatments continue to grow in leaps and bounds providing effective methods for integration with conventional cosmetic and dermaceutical treatment. This provides a dual complimentary pathway both for prevention and treatment of any/most skin disorders. Expanding on this model, we have already shown how the mind influences the body as per the above example. This general proposition can be extended to include specific skin disorders such as acne rosacea psoriasis eczema and atopic dermatitis to name a few. We will concentrate on Acne for the sake of this discussion. First, focusing on the B component of the BMC model, the primary lesion associated with acne is the formation microcomodones, which are small enough to proceed undetected until larger comodones appear later in the cycle. The latter cycle is initiated by peroxidation of squalene and unsaturated fatty acids present in human sebum. This leads to the foregoing lesions and pro- inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and interleukins followed by an increase of p.acnes on the epithelial cell wall together with increased film formation of the p.acnes is the same area This

Overview: New changes modifying the HIPAA Privacy and Security Regulations are going into place to meet the privacy and security mandates within the HITECH Act in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The changes include establishing new rights for individuals as well as changes to the limitations on uses and disclosures. New requirements for patient access to records and requirements to notify individuals in the event of a breach are only two of the many areas affected in the new law, including new requirements for restriction and accounting of disclosures and increased enforcement activity. Covered entities that use electronic health records (EHRs) will need to meet new access and disclosure rules and all kinds of business associates and their subcontractors will need to establish compliance programs. And if you are required to have a HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, you will need to update that to show all the new rights that patients will have, such as electronic copies, new rights to restrict disclosures, and much more. Business associates are now directly covered by the HIPAA privacy and security regulations and are liable for fines and penalties if they do not comply. If a business associate supplies services that interact with the new changes to the rules, the BA will need to be aware of the new requirements. We will explain what a Business Associate needs to do differently under the new regulations. Electronic records have new demands placed on them, in both providing access and in accounting for all disclosures of health information - the electronic age in health care brings new obligations to serve individuals as well as manage health information for healthcare professionals. We will discuss how disclosures must be tracked in an EHR and review the various ways patient records can be supplied electronically. The new regulations will be reviewed and their effects on usual practices will be discussed, as will what policies need to be chang

Healthcare Rehabilitation is a vast field: The field of healthcare rehabilitation is very vast and expansive. In traditional societies, most commonly relatable to the Orient and Africa, there is the ages-old cultural belief that it is the duty of children to take care of their parents when they age. On the contrary, for us in the west, healthcare rehabilitation has emerged as a specialized branch of healthcare because of the emphasis our society places on independence of the individual. Healthcare rehabilitation is a product of social mores: Younger generations of people are not expected to spend entire years, as may be the case in some families, to look after people of their previous generations who may be in need of medical care. It is on this outlook towards life of our society that healthcare rehabilitation has come into being. However, it is also possible that younger people could also be in need of healthcare rehabilitation. Even such people are put in the care of healthcare providers which offer these services. The divisions of healthcare rehabilitation: Branching out as a fully developed field of healthcare, healthcare rehabilitation has many specializations. These are broadly the areas in which healthcare rehabilitation is offered: General rehabilitation: General rehabilitation of some or another kind is a primary aspect of healthcare rehabilitation. Those in need of this kind of care typically include patients who have lost their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks such as talking, walking, brushing, eating, etc. many a time, depending on the nature of the ailment, rehabilitation could include therapies, exercises and other activities aimed at bringing in some element of mobility in the patient. This kind of healthcare rehabilitation could also include taking care to revive the patient's memory, when patients with diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's are admitted for healthcare rehabilitation. Skilled nursing: An area in which a skilled and

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: 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: Today's educated professionals function in a maze of different educational and training requirements, which vary from state to state and from profession to profession. Nowhere than in health care is this more evident where multidisciplinary health care practitioners work together towards a common goal for the patient. What is a profession? What areas of work require the unique professional education, training, and experience that becomes mandated by the state? What work requires professional judgment and skill so as to be regulated by the government through mandatory laws applicable to an individual person practicing his or her chosen profession? State laws are enacted for the protection of the public by legislatures in all the fifty states. A list of individual professions and their applicable statues and administrative regulations takes up entire volumes of lawbooks. These state laws impose significant regulation on these professionals, and often in very different ways found in many aspects of state regulation, from the educational process, the examination requirements, the state licensure applications, and the legal standards and rules of each unique profession. Explore how state licensure boards are created and function at the state level. While most such state agencies have common, core functions and operations, there are many differences - and some requirements that are truly the opposite from profession to profession. Review the common requirements the state imposes on the health care provider. Know the basics of professional education and licensure. Understand the difference between legally binding laws and mere codes of ethics, which are aspirational and do not form the basis for legal action. Find out how to understand and navigate the challenges presented from differing and conflicting state laws governing the many health care professions. Know where key requirements exist that are common to many professions. This program offers an obje

Course "Effective and Efficient Internal and Supplier Quality System Auditing for Medical Devices" has been pre-approved by RAPS as eligible for up to 12 credits towards a participant's RAC recertification upon full completion. Overview: Do you want to understand how to do efficient and effective internal and supplier audits that meet all the requirements of your external auditors, but also add value to your company? Are you confused by all the requirements and guidance documents for medical device quality management systems and are tired of wading through all the regulatory language they contain. This course is for those who will do internal or supplier audits, manage an audit process for these or other company audits. This course will provide you with an easy to understand presentation on the auditing process as well as the requirements you will need to audit under ISO 13485 and the FDA Quality System Regulation (cGMP) Both FDA Quality System Regulation (QSR) and ISO 13485 require that companies do internal audits. However, because the FDA does not look at the content of internal audits, some companies do not get feedback on the true effectiveness of their internal audit system from the FDA during FDA Inspections. ISO 13485 auditors do look at internal audits, but are most concerned that you define a process that meets the requirements of the standard and are following your process. Both require that you define Auditor training is required, but this sometimes just requires reading the company's procedure, although most external auditors will look for more than this. Do you need to train new auditors for yours medical device quality management system or to audit your suppliers? Or do you need to improve the training of your internal and supplier auditors so that they add value to these audits? If you need to do either of these, this seminar will provide this training. In addition to auditing skills and hands-on auditing exercises, this seminar will provide an ove

The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 All clinical laboratory testing done on humans in the US, save those done for basic research and clinical trials, have to comply with the provisions of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, a set of federal amendments carried out in 1988 set out federal standards for carrying out clinical laboratory testing. A clinical laboratory is, according to the CLIA, a facility in which laboratory testing is done on samples procured from humans. This testing is done with the aim of obtaining information with the intention of evaluating health, using which clinicians diagnose, prevent, or treat disease. Having defined a clinical laboratory thus, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments set out the regulatory guidelines on which clinical trials are to be administered. The fundamental aim of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments is to ensure accuracy, efficacy, safety, reliability and efficiency of clinical trials. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments seek to do this by setting aside grades for a range of criteria that relate to these aspects of the clinical trial. These grades are given from a score of 1, meaning the lowest, to 3, the highest, to assess as many as seven criteria of a particular clinical trial. These seven criteria are: Knowledge Materials used in proficiency, quality control, and calibration of materials Features of operational steps Experience and training Troubleshooting of test system troubleshooting and maintenance of equipment Preparation of reagents and other materials Interpreting and judging the results of the tests Points to be borne in mind for enforcing provisions of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Provisions set out in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments are to be enforced through a set of parameters. These include: Procedure manual A basic part of the Clinical Lab

Overview: Learn how to improve your healthcare compliance program by using requirements found in corporate integrity agreements (CIAs) issued by the OIG. By proactively incorporating various features of CIAs, healthcare providers of all types can be better assured of meeting compliance standards. While there are many different types of healthcare compliance issues, probably the area of most concern is that of properly filing claims and receiving appropriate reimbursement. The OIG has issued various types of guidance including Federal Register entries, fraud alerts, and issues as listed in the OIG Work Plans. By providing such guidance, the OIG has given healthcare providers notice so that there can be no defense of not knowing about an issue. By organizing your compliance program to detect and then correcting various types of issues is a major objective of having a compliance program. Understanding systematic processes for improving your healthcare compliance program using CIA requirements can forestall possible criminal and civil monetary penalties. The hundreds of CIAs that have been developed when the OIG detects fraudulent activities can be used as a guide for developing and improving healthcare compliance programs for all types of healthcare providers. The process of statistical extrapolation is used by the OIG when conducting studies in order to determine recoupment amounts. Statistical extrapolation can also be used by healthcare providers when determining possible overpayments. However, the proper use of statistical extrapolation is a formal and complex mathematical process that must be properly applied. The OIG CIAs provide another resource for healthcare providers to study, understand, and then apply as appropriate. Why should you Attend: What are the OIG Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs)? Why does the OIG issue CIAs? Can I use general requirements from CIA to avoid monetary penalties or even avoid going to jail? Can any healthcare provider use

Overview: The presentation takes the participant through the steps needed to ensure a successful health care computer system implementation. Once presented the participant will see the logic of the tools and processes and be able to apply them to their system implementation. The tools and processes presented in this material have been developed by implementing health care systems for over 40 years and seeing what has worked and WHY it has worked. These tools and processes have been equally and successfully applied to the implementation of large, complex systems and smaller, simpler systems for large, multidepartment organizations and for small health care organizations. The process focuses on establishing the project's implementation expectations, identifying meaningful metrics for success, establishing project plans, assigning individual accountabilities and responsibilities, establishing and executing project tasks, monitoring project progress and validating project success. To establish viable project expectations, the presentation addresses the need for bringing all of the stakeholders (organization owners, providers and management, operations staff, IT staff and the vendor) into establishing common and realizable expectations. These are reviewed in context of the organization's current environment and its short and long term goals and are considered as a critical part of the implementation completion process. In the case of turning around an already troubled or failed system implementation, the process emphasizes the tasks of reassessing the project stakeholder expectations - why they decided the system would help the organization and what they expected to get from the system. Next the process shows the participant how to convert these expectations to realistic and measurable project success metrics. The process focuses on learning how to separate "so what" metrics from meaningful and measurable metrics. In addition, the process provides direction regardin

Overview: Today's diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary mental health care environment involves many mental health care professionals who work together for the common goal of the patient. This includes physicians/psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and others. Nothing in health care is more fractured than in mental health among a multitude of mental health practitioners. Like physicians/psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, psychologists as health care practitioners obtained an education, passed applicable examinations, completed professional training, and hold a license to practice their chosen profession of psychology, often by being educated and trained at the doctoral level. The license to practice is issued by the state agency which has exclusive jurisdiction over this health care practitioner. Thereafter, the state's authority and power over the psychologist often presents challenges to that professional that are not easy to navigate. Their governing state agency routinely handles, investigates, and dismisses- or prosecutes - alleged violations of law that can be career ending for the psychologist if pursued. But that process takes time with many steps necessary for due process of law. One of the ultimate actions the state may take is to issue a suspension or revocation of the psychologist's professional license. Yet many state actions fall short of such drastic outcomes, but still have serious, permanent consequences for the psychologist as a licensed health care professional. Learn to identify the legal authority for state agencies to regulate the practice of psychology. Seek to understand and defend against state actions which may result in ruinous practice and career consequences for the health care professional. This program offers an objective, thorough review of the ethical and legal violations committed by psychologists. This program also reviews defenses with practice tips to defend successfully those common violations. Otherwis

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