There has been much debate on whether or not telehealth offers a secure means of communicating with patients, especially with many providers seeing patients virtually from their home offices. This has left many to wonder if using their home WiFi poses a security risk. Although there are security implications when using a personal WiFi for business use, connecting to a virtual private network (VPN) provides [...]
Providers may want to record conversations that they have with patients to refer back to for treatment purposes. However, there are certain restrictions placed on recording protected health information (PHI). HIPAA compliant call recording is discussed below. Are you adequately protecting patient data? Find out now with our HIPAA compliance checklist. What is Permitted for HIPAA Compliant Call Recording To ensure HIPAA compliant call recording, covered entities should consider [...]
The HIPAA Privacy Rule generally permits hospitals and other healthcare facilities to maintain facility directories that provide certain basic information about patients within the facilities. The HIPAA Privacy Rule and facility directories is discussed below. What are Facility Directories? Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, covered entities, including hospitals and other covered health care providers, may use the following protected health information (PHI) in facility directories: [...]
Healthcare organizations of all sizes must comply with the standards set forth by HIPAA. Although HIPAA mandates the same regulations for different sized healthcare organizations, the implementation of how the requirements are applied differ. HIPAA compliance for small practices is discussed below. Do you have an effective HIPAA compliance program? Find out now by completing the HIPAA compliance checklist. HIPAA Compliance for Small Practices When determining what HIPAA safeguards [...]
The HIPAA Privacy Rule’s “Right of Access” provision requires providers to make patient medical records available for viewing, inspecting, and copying. In early 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched a HIPAA Right of Access enforcement initiative. A recent study by citizen.com revealed that since the initiative was launched, provider Right of Access compliance has increased. How Did the Study Measure [...]
State public records laws, also known as open records or freedom of information laws, provide for certain public access to government records. However, HIPAA requires covered entities to take measures to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). The intersection of HIPAA and state public records laws is discussed below. Are State Public Records Laws Subject to the HIPAA Privacy Rule? HIPAA regulations define covered entities [...]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). FDA regulations provide for review and monitoring of biomedical research that involves human subjects, by groups known as Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). Institutional Review Boards are required to review and monitor all research that receives federal government funding. FDA regulations give Institutional Review Boards the authority to approve, require [...]
The HIPAA Privacy Rule allows for provider to provider communications - for providers that are part of a patient’s care team - to exchange clinical information, including protected health information (PHI) among each other. Circumstances under which provider to provider communications involving use and disclosure of PHI are addressed below. When Are Provider to Provider Communications Permitted Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule? Generally, under the [...]
In honor of National Doctor’s Day, Compliancy Group would like to recognize the incredible work that healthcare providers do every day. In today’s uncertain times, doctors are on the front lines doing all that they can to flatten the COVID-19 curve. National Doctor’s Day is a day to celebrate the commitment that doctors make to keep the country safe and healthy. National Doctor’s Day was first celebrated on March [...]
In the age of social media, it is important to understand how to use it in a professional manner. Healthcare providers may be interested to know if patient friend requests are HIPAA compliant. Although not prohibited by HIPAA law, it may not be the best idea to become friends with patients on Facebook. It may be more appropriate to be Facebook friends with patients if your practice is in [...]
