In the healthcare industry, compliance with federal regulations is paramount. One crucial tool in maintaining this compliance is the implementation of a healthcare compliance hotline, which provides employees with a…
Category: HIPAA & Compliance
HIPAA and Reproductive Health: the 2024 Privacy Rule
The newly amended HIPAA Privacy Rule marks a significant step towards enhancing the privacy of reproductive health information. These amendments are set to reshape how covered entities handle protected health…
Employee Snooping – A Too Common HIPAA Violation
The widespread adoption of electronic health records in hospitals and physician offices has led, some would say inexorably, to equally widespread HIPAA violations by employees of those healthcare providers. Unauthorized…
Why Consider Outsourced Compliance Services in Healthcare?
There are times when outsourcing healthcare compliance services can become a practical and pragmatic option. Consider the following … In this Article … Boardroom Realizations: Navigating Healthcare Compliance Concerns Compliance…
What is Considered “Protected Health Information”?
Descriptions of what is considered HIPAA-protected health information (PHI) have been around since the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996. Congress did not enact specific…
HIPAA Privacy Officer vs. Security Officer – what’s the difference?
Understanding HIPAA regulations requires knowing the distinct roles of a HIPAA Privacy Officer and a HIPAA Security Officer. This article breaks down their unique responsibilities and shows why both are…
Stark Law Violation: Insights Prompted by a Record Penalty
Late last year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a False Claims Act (FCA) settlement with a large hospital system. The settlement was noteworthy for two reasons. It was…
Implementing the 7 Elements of an Effective Compliance Program
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a document entitled General Compliance Program Guidance in November 2023. The OIG’s stated…
Healthcare Compliance Training: an essential guide
Staying informed and compliant with regulatory standards is not just a best practice—it’s a necessity for healthcare providers. This is certainly true when it comes to the details of healthcare…
Your Corporate Integrity Agreement: what will the IRO audit?
Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) can be overwhelming for those healthcare organizations facing one. Tasked with rectifying past non-compliance, these agreements are a roadmap to regaining trust and ensuring future adherence…
The Compliance Committee: Steering Integrity in Healthcare
In Part 1 of this two-part series, we discussed the role of the new Compliance Officer. We described the activities in terms of the first day, the first week, and…
New Compliance Officer in Healthcare: 1st day, week & month
This is Part 1 of a two-part series on compliance officers and compliance committees in a healthcare setting. In this part, we discuss how a new compliance officer should undertake…
Fostering a Culture of Compliance in Healthcare
There is a lot of discussion these days about the culture. You can read about how it is crumbling, or you can hear about how it is expanding to encompass…
The Ultimate Guide to Medical Office HIPAA Compliance
The original Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996. The HIPAA Privacy Rule, a part of the HIPAA Administrative Simplification regulations, has been in effect for…
HIPAA Security Rule: Technical Safeguards
The HIPAA security rule technical specifications are one of the three required safeguards of the HIPAA Security Rule. The Physical safeguards focus on policies and procedures for aspects such as how…
HIPAA Security Rule, Computers, and Administrative Safeguards
It’s been almost 27 years since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was passed by Congress. And it’s been almost 20 years since the initial adoption of…
HIPAA Business Associate (Definition, Agreement, and More)
The original HIPAA Privacy Rule of 2003 included provisions for Covered Entities (health care providers, health insurance issuers, and health care clearinghouses) to share protected health information on behalf of…
Hospital Price Transparency – Boon or Bust?
Price Transparency – it’s something we expect in almost everything else we consider purchasing, right? So why shouldn’t we expect hospital price transparency as well? That is undoubtedly what members…
Code of Conduct for Healthcare – 18 things to include
Many healthcare organizations of any size have a Code of Conduct. These codes are designed to demonstrate the organization’s dedication to ethical behavior and compliance with the healthcare services organization’s…
When can the OCR Audit You?
If you are wondering just when can the OCR audit your covered entity or business associate organization, you may conclude “any time it darn well wants to”. Well, that’s an…