Articles Tagged With: HIPAA
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Reproductive Healthcare Rule Compliance Will Be Challenging
The new HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Healthcare Privacy will require covered entities to review and update some policies and procedures. The rule was promulgated in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Ethical Concerns with Data Sharing Practices of Healthcare Organizations
It is not uncommon for hospitals to share patient data with technology companies, either to spur research and product development or to train artificial intelligence models designed to improve clinical decision making. Researchers interviewed and surveyed 24 informatics leaders about current data sharing practices at their institutions.
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Hospital Terminates Employees for Allowing Another To Do Their Jobs
A Boston hospital recently announced that it terminated two employees over a privacy breach after an investigation determined that they allowed a third person, not an employee of the hospital, to perform some of their job duties. That person might have accessed patient protected health information, the hospital said.
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Unique Identifier Rule Can Be Confusing
HIPAA’s Unique Identifier Rule mandates the use of standardized codes to provide unique identification of healthcare organizations, employees, and patients in an effort to enhance efficiency and security. The requirements and use of the codes can be confusing.
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Respond to HIPAA Complaints with Planned Process
Healthcare organizations should have a formal process in place for responding to HIPAA complaints to avoid having significant problems slip through the cracks and possibly result in penalties.
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Indiana Appellate Court Allows Case to Proceed Against Doctor Accused of Improperly Accessing Patients’ Medical Records
The Court of Appeals of Indiana recently revived a case involving significant allegations of breaches of privacy and professional misconduct against a doctor and hospital group.
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Is Text Messaging Ever HIPAA-Compliant?
Text messaging is so convenient and common that it is tempting to use it for communicating with patients. But HIPAA applies, and the use of text messaging is allowed only when meeting some strict requirements.
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HITECH Audits Return: OCR Promises Enforcement Changes for HIPAA
The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) has reopened the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) audit program and will begin audits of HIPAA-regulated entities later in 2024. The audits will focus on the Security Rule, particularly the requirements for security risk analyses and risk management.
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OCR Investigates Change Healthcare After Major Cyber Incident
In an unusual move signifying the severity of the huge cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group breach, the Office of Civil Rights is formally investigating the incident.
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Steps to Take in Response to OCR Guidance on Online Tracking
The Office of Civil Rights’ updated guidance on HIPAA and online tracking technologies leaves many questions, but covered entities should take certain steps now.