The role of state laws in governing confidential medical information were highlighted again last week when a massive lawsuit against Sutter Health was dismissed. A state appeals court acted on…
Category: HIPAA & Compliance
HIPAA Privacy Violations – Another New Twist to watch for
HIPAA Privacy Violations are now coming courtesy of Phishing! The latest twist in HIPPA Privacy violations came up in May 2014, when it was revealed that a phishing operation aimed…
OIG Work Plan 2014 – Impact on Physician Providers
The OIG Work Plan 2014, after four months of delay, has finally been issued, and it has several areas of focus that should be of interest for physician providers. The…
OIG Work Plan 2014 – Nursing Homes
After a nearly four month delay, the OIG work plan 2014 was finally released. For nursing home operators, there’s a bit of good news and bad news in the work…
2014 OIG Work Plan – “new” hospital projects
The 2014 OIG Work Plan, released on January 31, came out a full sixteen months since the prior year’s edition. The timing was an intentional four month delay beyond the…
The OIG Work Plan 2014 – an introduction
Download the OIG Work Plan 2014 The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) just released their annual work plan on January 31. Coming a full four months later than in…
Medical Practice Business Plan – Needed to start a Medical Practice?
Download our list of Practice Start-up Issues A medical practice business plan may seem like a luxury when you’re starting a medical practice. After all, you’re going to need start-up…
CMS Meaningful Use Incentive Program Audits – are you prepared?
In case it wasn’t clear before, everyone should be aware that CMS Meaningful Use Incentive Program audits are going on – both pre- and post-payment, and be prepared in case…
OIG Strategic Plan 2014 through 2018 – What’s in it for me?
Without much fanfare, the OIG, a couple of weeks ago, released its OIG Strategic Plan for 2014-2018. While not as detailed as the annual work plan (remember that the 2014…
HIPAA Law Enforcement – It’s not just the province of the OCR anymore!
It is a familiar story: a government agency initiates a HIPAA law enforcement action based on alleged violations of the HIPAA Security Rule. The provider did not develop or implement…
Marketing, Fundraising, and the Sale of PHI – 2013 HIPAA Final Rule Updates
With less than a month left until the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule of 2013 is implemented, it’s time for Covered Entities (CE’s) and Business Associates (BA’s) to get cracking…
Breach Definition Updated in the 2013 HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule
The HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule issued in January 2013 contains many updates to the current regulations, and finalizes the Breach Notification Interim Final Rule of 2009. Among these changes, the…
HIPAA Final Rule of 2013: Are you ready for the changes this fall?
The deadline for compliance with the HIPAA Final Rule, issued in January 2013, is rapidly approaching. By September 23, 2013, all Covered Entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) will…
HIPAA Violations – Do you know where your firewalls are at night?
Two recent settlements by large healthcare organizations remind us where the lines are being drawn by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the US Department of Health and Human…
Affordable Care Act – Implications for Medical Practices
It’s been over three years since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for short. It seems like a good time…
HIPAA Business Associate Agreement – new rules mean mandatory updates
Government enforcement used to seem a long time off when HIPAA regulations issued after the HITECH Act extended various provisions of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules to Business Associates…
OIG Work Plan – Impact on Medicare Part B Providers in 2013
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its 2013 Work Plan early in October. This OIG Work Plan is the annual publication that contains descriptions of new and ongoing…
OIG Work Plan for 2013 – Nursing Homes
It’s October, and that means the much anticipated OIG Work Plan for 2013 has been released and those in the long term care industry should be very interested in the…
OIG Work Plan for 2013 – a first look
Download the OIG Work Plan Of the many reports and documents that the federal government releases to the public each year, few are more anticipated in healthcare circles than Health…
Healthcare Compliance Audits – more and more variety!
Healthcare compliance audits are coming in several shapes and sizes these days. Recently the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the…