By Matt Fisher – The HIPAA spotlight is beginning to shine brightly on business associates. Covered entities have long had their time to star, so it is only fair to share the stage now. It is likely that covered entities are only too happy to have the Office for Civil Rights and others focus attention on business associates with all the consequences that come with such attention.
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By Mike Semel – The Office for Civil Rights announced that the new permanent audit program has started. On July 11 letters were sent BY E-MAIL (check your junk mail folders!) to 167 health plans, health care providers, and health care clearing houses (all HIPAA Covered Entities) notifying them that they have to send in documentation for a ‘desk audit.’ They will have 10 days to send in the required materials for review.
By Matt Fisher – Potentially lost in the week leading up to the July 4th holiday weekend, the OCR announced its latest HIPAA related breach settlement. The settlement is one of the first directed at a business associate and serves as a pointed reminder that business associates may be directly liable for the breaches that they may cause.
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights released an updated Audit Protocol that it plans to use while investigating health care entities for HIPAA compliance. The biggest change to the audit protocol is the distinction that OCR has made between what’s required of Business Associates and Covered Entities.
By Andrew Hicks – Since the Anthem breach was made public earlier this year, there has been a host of commentary on everything from the need for more data encryption measures to the need for more accountability at the C-level of most health care organizations.
Indemnification: Is It Needed In A Business Associate Agreement? By Matthew Fisher Twitter: @matt_r_fisher The requirement for Covered Entities under the Health Insurance Portability and…