PHI Protection for 50 Years After Death
Protected health information (PHI) is any individually identifying health information classified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) into 18 identifiers, such as name, [...]
When Can a Covered Entity Deny a Request to Amend PHI?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits patients to request that PHI contained in their medical records, be amended. The right is not unlimited, however, and a covered [...]
HIPAA Role-Based Access
HIPAA Role-Based Access is a key concept of the HIPAA Security Rule. Under the Security Rule, healthcare organizations are required to implement access controls. Role-based access controls [...]
HIPAA Right of Access Noncompliance
A recent report from Ciitizen, a patients’ rights advocacy group, has revealed more than half of healthcare providers (51%) are not fully compliant with the HIPAA Right of Access [...]
5 HIPAA Covered Entity Employee Tips
Covered entities’ employees play an important role in keeping PHI and ePHI secure. The following HIPAA covered entity employee tips can be used by your organization as part of a [...]
Hospital Data Breaches and Patient Deaths
Researchers for the journal Health Services Research recently conducted a study to determine whether there is a relationship between hospital data breaches and patient deaths. Of particular interest was [...]
HIPAA Compliant Apps with Microphone Access?
Managing HIPAA compliance can be a daunting task. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare organizations, and the vendors that service them, to [...]
$2.175 Million HIPAA Fine Issued for Improper Breach Notification
In its’ most recent HIPAA settlement, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a $2.175 million HIPAA fine to [...]
HIPAA Compliance for Self-Insured Health Plans
HIPAA compliance for self-insured health plans is not black and white. The nature and extent of a self-insured health plan’s compliance is determined by several factors, [...]
What Role Does Law Enforcement Play in HIPAA?
The battle between individuals’ privacy rights and the needs of law enforcement, has raged for centuries in one form or another. When the HIPAA Privacy Rule was [...]
