By Sam Barnes – North Memorial Health Care of Minnesota recently agreed to settle charges that it violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules by essentially failing to enter into a Business Associate Agreement.
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By Matt Fisher – It has been a frequent message that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been providing numerous HIPAA lessons over the past few years through settlement announcements.
By Matt Fisher – The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the National Coordinator of HealthIT (ONC) and others are becoming prolific in the amount of HIPAA guidance being issued.
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – Welcome to the fourth and final blog post in our series on how HIPAA supports interoperability. In the previous installments, we provided practical examples and illustrations that show how Health Care Operations Permitted Uses and Disclosures apply to covered entities.
The GetMyHealthData Campaign embraces new guidance released by HSS for clearly stating that, among other things, patients should receive copies of their health information free…
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – Welcome to the third blog post in our series. Blog #2 discussed how HIPAA supports interoperability, and discussed definitions of Treatment and Health Care Operations-functions for which HIPAA supports electronic exchange of health information. This blog post gives additional practical examples of exchange for Treatment and exchange for Health Care Operations. Let’s jump right in.
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – At ONC, we hear all of the time that HIPAA makes it difficult, if not impossible, to move electronic health data when and where it is needed for patient care and health. This is a misconception, but unfortunately one that is widespread.
By Matt Patterson MD – Much has changed in the years since HIPAA was first passed into law, not the least of which is the use of mobile technology in healthcare. As a physician, patient, and healthcare technology business leader, I have experienced numerous frustrations and inefficiencies resulting from practices struggling to adhere to the letter of the HIPAA law rather than embracing its spirit.
By Lucia Savage & Aja Brooks – This post summarizes the new ONC fact sheets on HIPAA Permitted Uses and Disclosures for exchange (Treatment and Health Care Operations), developed in conjunction with the Office for Civil Rights.