The Duties of a HIPAA Compliance Officer
Under the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a covered entity or business associate [...]
Everything you need to know about HIPAA
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HIPAA Articles
Is Microsoft Office 365 HIPAA Compliant?
Office 365 is a collection of subscription products from Microsoft that include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, [...]
Why is HIPAA Important?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is an essential set of regulations that were [...]
What Does PHI Stand For?
The acronym PHI is generally used in association with health information, but what does PHI stand for? What [...]
Can A Patient File A Lawsuit for A HIPAA Violation?
Is it possible for a patient to file a lawsuit for a HIPAA violation? There is no private cause of action in [...]
What is a HIPAA Violation?
Everyday, there seems to be a new report about a healthcare provider or health plan that has been discovered [...]
How is the HITECH Act Related to HIPAA and Electronic Health and Medical Records?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in August 1996. It was updated in [...]
California Legislature Approves California Consumer Privacy Act Changes
In June 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was approved by the California legislature. The Act [...]
Can Healthcare Vendors Get HIPAA Certification?
Vendors offering their services to healthcare providers that would require access to protected health [...]
CMS Investigates Fairview Southdale Hospital Patient Privacy Violation
The HHS’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has investigated Fairview Southdale Hospital in [...]
What is Regarded as Protected Health Information According to HIPAA?
Some patients, and even some healthcare employees, may not be 100% sure exactly what is regarded as protected [...]
Which Email Providers are HIPAA Compliant?
HIPAA-covered entities need to make certain that protected health information (PHI) sent by email is secure [...]
Requirements of HIPAA Compliant Email
Are Emails HIPAA Compliant? The use of email by HIPAA-covered entities to send sensitive patient health [...]
OCR Reminds Healthcare Organizations to Secure Electronic Media and Devices With ePHI
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has reminded HIPAA-covered entities of [...]
When is a HIPAA Release Form Necessary?
A HIPAA release form signed by the patient ought to be acquired prior to sharing that individual’s [...]
New Guidance on Using EHR Data in Clinical Research Issued By the U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced new guidance about the usage of EHR data in [...]
New Data Privacy Law Signed by California Governor Offering GDPR-Style Protections
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, AB 375, has been signed into law. California governor Jerry [...]
There’s No Private Cause of Action in HIPAA According to District Court Ruling
Patients who think that there has been a violation of HIPAA Rules can send a complaint to the Department of [...]
Is Rackspace HIPAA Compliant?
Rackspace is a cloud computing company based in Windcrest, Texas that provides public cloud and email hosting [...]
Phishing Attack on FAPD and Black River Medical Center
Two HIPAA-covered organizations have recently announced they have been victims of phishing attacks that [...]
Is SendGrid HIPAA Compliant?
SendGrid is a platform that companies use for email marketing. It makes communicating marketing messages to [...]
Hospitals and Physicians Confirm Mobile Technology Helps Improve Patient Outcomes
Black Book Research has published the results of a survey on the use of mobile technology by hospitals and [...]
New Apple Health Records API Allows Developers to Create Apps for Patients and Access EHR Data
Apple has launched an application programming interface (API) that developers can use to create health apps [...]
Are Law Firms Violating HIPAA When Using Geofencing Technology to Target Patients in ER Rooms?
Geofencing is a technology that creates a digital fence around a particular location or space online allowing [...]
Covered Entities Are Reminded Not to Neglect Physical Security Controls
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is reminding HIPAA covered [...]
Why Choosing Secure Messaging Platforms Over Pagers is Important for HIPAA Compliance
Is it the End of Paging? Since changes have been made to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, there has been [...]
Is Emailing Patient Names Considered as a HIPAA Violation?
Email is a valuable and convenient means of communication. Can healthcare companies employ email to deliver [...]
How to make HIPAA Complaints within a Covered Entity
Who should be informed within the covered entity when you want to make a HIPAA complaint? Any healthcare [...]
Is Amazon Web Services HIPAA Compliant?
Amazon Web Services possesses all the security requirements to meet the HIPAA Security Rule and Amazon is [...]
What is the HIPAA Conduit Exception Rule?
A lot of HIPAA covered entities are not aware of the HIPAA Conduit Exception Rule. Consequently, there are [...]
Is Google Hangouts HIPAA Compliant?
Healthcare providers often question whether Google services are HIPAA compliant, including whether Google [...]
Is Azure HIPAA Compliant?
Healthcare companies are not forbidden by HIPAA to utilize cloud services. With cloud services, organizations [...]
Is HelloFax HIPAA Compliant?
Can healthcare organizations use HelloFax to send documents containing protected health information (PHI)? [...]
Nine Security No-Nos for Healthcare Employees
Healthcare companies and their business associates need to adhere to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach [...]
Is WebEx HIPAA Compliant?
WebEx is a platform for online video conferencing and collaboration helping organizations interact with [...]
Is FaceTime HIPAA Compliant?
Can HIPAA covered entities use FaceTime for communicating protected health information (PHI) without breaking [...]
Is Facebook Messenger HIPAA Compliant?
Is Facebook Messenger HIPAA compliant? Could it be used by healthcare organizations as the messaging service [...]
Is Microsoft Outlook HIPAA Compliant?
Software programs or email services cannot be completely HIPAA compliant, because technology is not just the [...]
Can Amazon Alexa Be Used in Healthcare?
The use of Amazon Alexa is limited in healthcare because it is not HIPAA compliant. But that may change [...]
HIPAA Regulations for SMS
Almost all SMS messaging platforms aren’t HIPAA Compliant. There is no HIPAA rule that particularly [...]
De-identification of Protected Health Information
Healthcare companies and business associates that would like to access or share protected health information [...]
Summary of the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is an important legislation to the healthcare [...]
Is WhatsApp HIPAA Compliant?
When WhatsApp declared it was launching end-to-end encryption, healthcare organizations became interested [...]
Is Slack HIPAA Compliant?
Slack is an effective tool for communication and collaboration, however, there is a question on using Slack [...]
What is the Purpose of HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – or HIPAA is a vital legislation which affects [...]
How to Report a HIPAA violation
It is the duty of HIPAA covered entities to make sure that their personnel know the right steps for reporting [...]
What Should A Patient Do If There is an Obvious HIPAA Violation?
A patient is unable to sue a healthcare organization for a HIPAA violation and demand damages even though the [...]
Importance of the HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a legislation introduced in 1996, mainly [...]
HIPAA’s Records Retention Requirements
A lot of covered entities do not fully understand the requirements of HIPAA medical records retention and [...]
Is Google Voice HIPAA Compliant?
Can healthcare providers and its employees utilize Google Voice? Is this telephony service HIPAA compliant? [...]
What are the Responsibilities of a HIPAA Compliance Officer?
The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities and business [...]
Problems in the Oversight of Medicare Beneficiary Data Security
Because of the recent data breaches, the U.S Senate Committee on Finance, the House Committee on Energy and [...]
What Entities Can Get Access to Medicare Beneficiary Data?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) protect [...]
What are the Penalties When Pharmacies Violate HIPAA Rules?
Whether you have a large or small business, if you’re engaged in the healthcare industry, HIPAA compliance [...]
Key Points of HIPAA Compliance for Pharmacies
Pharmacies are HIPAA-covered entities that must comply with the acceptable uses and disclosures of protected [...]
Common Acts of HIPAA Violation Committed by Nurses and Penalties
Healthcare workers such as nurses have direct involvement in the care of patients and often get access to [...]
Verizon Released Annual Protected Health Information Breach Report
Verizon’s annual Protected Health Information Breach Report is out. The report revealed the result of [...]
What Does Contingency Planning Mean As Per HIPAA Rules?
OCR explained in its March 2018 cybersecurity newsletter the importance of contingency planning. The HIPAA [...]
Four Areas of HIPAA That Are Important to Patients
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or HIPAA was signed into law by Pres. Bill [...]
Is the Use of Google Forms Compliant With HIPAA Rules?
Google Forms is an online tool that anyone can use to create surveys and get feedback from people? Can [...]
Can Google Sheets Be Used with PHI by Healthcare Organizations?
Google Sheets is a web-based Google program that allows the creation, viewing and sharing of spreadsheets. [...]
Guidelines on Using Social Media to Avoid HIPAA Violations
ProPublica released a study in 2015 that showed the reality of HIPAA social media violations involving [...]
Warning Against PHI Disclosure on Social Media
Using social media such as Facebook and Twitter can help healthcare organizations in several ways. It helps [...]
Should Employees that Violated HIPAA Rules Be Terminated?
The HIPAA Enforcement Rule allowed the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights to penalize healthcare organizations [...]
Is Yammer HIPAA Compliant?
Yammer is another platform that healthcare organizations can potentially use for sharing ePHI. Does it [...]
How to Ensure HIPAA Compliant File Sharing
HIPAA compliant file sharing requires maintaining the security, integrity and confidentiality of PHI both at [...]
Is Google Sheets HIPAA Compliant?
Google Sheets is a service provided by Google to create, view and share spreadsheets. Can HIPAA-covered [...]
Is IBM Cloud HIPAA Compliant?
IBM Cloud is a service offered by IBM allowing organizations to do certain functions such as building native [...]
What Must Be Done Before Using Cloud Service Providers to Ensure HIPAA Compliance?
Cloud service providers are classified as business associates based on the HIPAA Omnibus Rule, which states [...]
Can iCloud Be Considered HIPAA-Compliant?
Cloud storage services make it very convenient for people to share and store data. People using different [...]
Identity and Access Management Policies That Govern Terminated Employees
The HIPAA Security Rule calls for the efficient management of information access. Personnel who are given [...]
What Happens to PHI After a Healthcare Business Closes?
When HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates cease operations, the obligation to follow HIPAA [...]
MediaPro Report Reveals Poor Security Awareness of Healthcare Employees
MediaPro published a recent report indicating the lack of preparedness of the healthcare industry to deal [...]
Which Entities Should Comply with the HIPAA Rule?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules aim to keep protected health [...]
How To Comply With the HIPAA Password Requirements
According to the HIPAA password requirements, there must be procedures for creating, changing and [...]
Must Know Facts About Individually Identifiable Health Information
What are considered individually identifiable health information? What are the permitted uses and [...]
Can Hotmail Be Considered as HIPAA Compliant?
Healthcare organizations often ask if they can use a Hotmail account to send protected health information. [...]
New Bill Propose Changes to HIPAA Rules for Healthcare Clearinghouses
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) introduced a new bill (H.R 4613) to the U.S. House of [...]
Launch of OCR ‘s New WebPages Required by the 21st Century Cures Act
OCR is doing its part to deal with the opioid crisis in the United States and fulfill its responsibilities [...]
The Security Risks of Using Mobile Devices to Manage ePHI
Most healthcare organizations today use mobile devices including laptop computers, tablets, mobile phones and [...]
What are the Penalties for Violating HIPAA Breach Notification Requirements?
The HIPAA Breach Notification requirements must be followed by all covered entities and business associates [...]
What are the HIPAA Breach Notification Requirements?
When a reportable HIPAA breach occurs, the covered entity and its business associates need to comply with the [...]
What Are Reportable HIPAA Breaches? What Are the Exemptions?
Following the HIPAA breach notification requirements is a must for all HIPAA covered entities. This entails [...]
Security Breach at a New York Pharmacy Exposed 12,172 Customers’ PHI
ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc announced to its pharmacy customers about a security breach as a result of the [...]
What are the HIPAA violation penalties for nurses?
HIPAA violation penalties for nurses who breach HIPAA Rules have different levels of severity, based on the [...]
Is Skype HIPAA Compliant?
Text messaging platforms such as Skype are an efficint way of quickly sending information, but is does Skype [...]
What happens after unauthorized access to patient medical records?
Stolen mobile devices may result in the biggest exposures of Protected Health Information; however, the most [...]
Is Google Drive HIPAA Compliant?
Trying to decipher the HIPAA Compliance of Google Drive can be confusing. HIPAA compliance relates less about [...]
What is the HIPAA breach notification rule?
Despite the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 being one of the most vital pieces of [...]
Is Dropbox HIPAA compliant?
Dropbox is a widely-used file hosting service used by many groups to share files, but is Dropbox HIPAA [...]
What are the HIPAA rules for dentists?
Despite the fact that many dental clinics are self-contained centers, the HIPAA rules for dentists apply to [...]
How many HIPAA Violations in 2016?
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has increased its enforcement [...]
Telemedicine HIPAA requirements
The Telemedicene HIPAA requirements affect any medical sector employee or healthcare organization that [...]
What are the HIPAA e-signature requirements?
Digital signatures have proved, in the healthcare industry, to increase the efficiency of many processes, yet [...]
What is HIPAA compliant texting?
The answer to the question “What is HIPAA compliant texting” is generally unclear. Although HIPAA does [...]
What are the HIPAA email compliance requirements?
There has been much debate about HIPAA email compliance requirements since amendments were made to the Health [...]
HIPAA Encryption Requirements
HIPAA encryption requirements have proved a source of much confusion. This is due to the technical safeguards [...]
What are the HIPAA requirements for mobile devices?
Healthcare organizations and other HIPAA-covered bodies have embraced the evolution of mobile technology, and [...]
Why was HIPAA created?
The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law, on August 21, 1996 [...]
What are the HIPAA telephone rules?
The Federal Communication Commission has issued a Declaratory Ruling and Order to clarify the HIPAA telephone [...]
What are the rules for HIPAA Compliant Telemedicine?
The rule for HIPAA Compliant Telemedicine in call centers is something every company, providing an answering [...]
What are the HIPAA rules regarding text messaging?
Labelling text messaging as HIPAA violation is not strictly correct. Depending on the context of the text [...]
What are the Penalties for HIPAA Violations?
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and state attorneys general can [...]
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