As more organizations continue to work remotely, they are relying on texting and email as means of communication. For organizations that work in healthcare, it is important to determine if the communication tool they use is HIPAA compliant. HIPAA compliant texting and email are discussed below. HIPAA Compliant Texting and Email: What You Need to Know An essential component of HIPAA is ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of [...]
Although HIPAA compliance is mandated for organizations working in healthcare, it also poses several benefits. The benefits of HIPAA compliance are discussed below. Benefits of HIPAA Compliance Whether you are a covered entity, business associate, or managed service provider, being HIPAA compliant can be beneficial to your business. Benefits of HIPAA compliance include trust, loyalty, profitability, and differentiation. ◈ Trust. Organizations that are HIPAA compliant are more trusted. This [...]
In today’s world, healthcare organizations are continually targeted by hackers for the sensitive information they hold on their patients. To ensure the safety of your patients’ protected health information (PHI) and reduce your practice’s risk, it is important to implement a HIPAA risk management program. HIPAA Risk Management: How to Determine Your Areas of Risk To implement HIPAA risk management, and adequately safeguard PHI, it is essential to determine [...]
There has been much discussion about the permanent expansion of access to telehealth beyond the coronavirus pandemic. For now, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the public health emergency to October 23, 2020. Although this a good start, many providers and government officials have urged lawmakers to make the improved telehealth access permanent. One such proposed legislation is the Executive Order on Improving Rural and [...]
BlueJeans is a cloud-based telecommunications platform that was created in 2009 by Verizon. With the uptick in the use of video conferencing for telehealth, it is important to consider whether or not certain tools are HIPAA compliant. The question of - is BlueJeans HIPAA compliant - is discussed below. Is BlueJeans HIPAA Compliant: Business Associate Under HIPAA, business associates are any entity that creates, receives, transmits, maintains, or stores [...]
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have struggled to come up with plans on how they can safely reopen. This has been of particular concern in the customer service and hospitality industries, as the nature of their business requires them to frequently meet with customers in person. What many businesses thought to be a reasonable request, asking customers to wear masks, has been a topic of [...]
Healthcare-related cell phone calls by providers to patients are regulated by two laws. One of these is HIPAA. HIPAA governs the content of what PHI can be communicated through a text or a voicemail. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), regulates how a provider can send a message. Recently, the FCC issued a ruling requiring that healthcare providers obtain prior express consent [...]
The coronavirus has had a significant impact on many aspects of life. Many people have started to utilize technology they had not previously used for every day activities. This has led to an increase in global cyberattacks. The FBI reported that so far this year, they have received 20,000 reports of cyberthreats related to COVID-19. Additionally, the UN has found a 600% increase in phishing emails. To assist in [...]
As we enter our fourth month of the COVID-19 crisis, the use of video conferencing tools continues to grow. However, the security of these tools have been under scrutiny, particularly for use in the healthcare field. To help providers choose the right video conferencing tool, HIPAA compliant video conferencing is discussed below. Is your organization secure? Find out now with our HIPAA compliance checklist. Choosing a HIPAA Compliant Video [...]
Lifespan Affiliated Covered Entity (“Lifespan ACE”) is a HIPAA-covered entity. This not-for-profit health system includes three academic teaching hospitals, a medical and mental health services hospital, and Rhode Island’s largest nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider. In April of 2017, Lifespan’s parent company and business associate, filed a breach report with the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights. The resulting OCR investigation determined that an unencrypted [...]
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