Recent HIPAA News

Outlook can be used for HIPAA-regulated email when the organization uses it within a Microsoft service arrangement that includes a business associate agreement, and when Outlook and the underlying email service are configured and operated [...]

HIPAA matters to patients because it creates federal requirements that limit how Covered Entities and Business Associates use and disclose protected health information, require safeguards for health information, and give individuals enforceable rights over their [...]

Criminal penalties for HIPAA violations apply when a person knowingly obtains or discloses individually identifiable health information in violation of federal law, with maximum penalties that range from a fine of up to $50,000 and [...]

Financial penalties for HIPAA violations include civil monetary penalties assessed by the HHS Office for Civil Rights under a tiered framework, monetary settlements paid to resolve enforcement actions, and costs tied to corrective action obligations, [...]

Dropbox is not HIPAA compliant by default, and it is only appropriate for storing or sharing protected health information when the healthcare organization uses an eligible Dropbox team plan, executes a Business Associate Agreement with [...]

Protected Health Information is individually identifiable information, in any form or medium, that relates to an individual’s past, present, or future physical or mental health condition, the provision of health care to the individual, or [...]

HIPAA compliance regulations are the federal regulatory requirements that implement the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and govern how HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates use, disclose, safeguard, and respond to compromises [...]

HIPAA is important because it establishes enforceable federal standards for safeguarding protected health information, sets patient rights over how that information is used and disclosed, and requires HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates to apply [...]

HIPAA compliance guidelines for Business Associates require a signed Business Associate Agreement with the Covered Entity, implementation of HIPAA Security Rule safeguards for electronic protected health information, compliance with applicable HIPAA Privacy Rule provisions governing [...]

HIPAA compliance software is a category of tools used by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates to manage, track, and retain documentation that supports compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA [...]

A HIPAA compliance checklist is a documented control list used by a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate to verify implementation and ongoing operation of requirements under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and [...]

The consequences of non-compliance with HIPAA include civil monetary penalties, mandatory corrective action obligations, government monitoring, and criminal penalties for certain knowing misconduct involving individually identifiable health information. Enforcement actions can require changes to privacy [...]

A HIPAA compliance certificate is a document issued by a training provider or assessor that records completion of a defined HIPAA-related training or evaluation activity and serves as evidence of participation, scope, and date rather [...]

HIPAA implications for healthcare compliance include implementing and maintaining policies, procedures, workforce practices, and vendor controls that ensure uses and disclosures of protected health information comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, electronic protected health information [...]

HIPAA requirements for healthcare data transmission require HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates to transmit protected health information only for permitted purposes under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, to limit transmitted information under the HIPAA Minimum [...]

HIPAA violation fines for non-compliance include civil monetary penalties assessed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights using tiered, inflation-adjusted dollar ranges per violation, and criminal fines that can be [...]

A patient’s rights are a required operational component of HIPAA compliance because the HIPAA Privacy Rule mandates processes that allow individuals to access and obtain copies of protected health information, request amendments, receive an accounting [...]

HIPAA guidelines for nursing students require protecting protected health information in any format, using or disclosing protected health information only for authorized education and patient care purposes, applying the HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule when the [...]

Documenting HIPAA compliance requires maintaining written and retained evidence that required HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule controls are implemented, operating, and updated for the protected health information an organization [...]

HIPAA compliance in mental health is implemented by applying the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule to psychotherapy notes, mental health records, care coordination, billing, telehealth, [...]

HIPAA compliance and penalty avoidance are achieved by implementing documented HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule controls, maintaining evidence of those controls through policies and records, and operating a risk-based [...]

The key provisions of HIPAA establish national standards for the privacy and security of protected health information, define when and how protected health information may be used and disclosed, require safeguards for electronic protected health [...]

A HIPAA compliance officer is responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring an organization’s HIPAA compliance program to meet requirements under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, including governance, documentation, [...]

HIPAA violations are reported by documenting the facts, notifying the organization through its designated compliance reporting channel or privacy or security official, and submitting a complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services Office [...]

HIPAA benefits patients by restricting non-permitted uses and disclosures of protected health information, requiring safeguards for health information, and granting individuals enforceable rights over their health records under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, [...]

Handle HIPAA violations in telemedicine practices by stopping the improper activity, preserving evidence, assessing whether protected health information was impermissibly used or disclosed under the HIPAA Privacy Rule and whether electronic protected health information safeguards [...]

Improper disposal of protected health information can lead to enforcement action by the HHS Office for Civil Rights that includes corrective action requirements and civil money penalties, can trigger breach notification duties under the HIPAA [...]

HIPAA requires covered healthcare providers that transmit certain healthcare transactions electronically, along with health plans and healthcare clearinghouses, to use federally adopted standard transaction formats, standard code sets, and standard identifiers for those transactions under [...]

HIPAA compliance can be improved by strengthening governance, documentation, and operational controls that support consistent performance under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule for protected health information. Improvement work [...]

A person becomes a HIPAA compliance officer by obtaining education and experience in healthcare compliance and privacy, developing working knowledge of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and demonstrating [...]

A HIPAA compliance audit can be conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, by the organization’s own internal audit or compliance function, or by an independent external assessor retained [...]

A business can achieve HIPAA compliance by confirming whether it is a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate, identifying where protected health information is created, received, maintained, or transmitted, and implementing documented policies, agreements, safeguards, [...]

HIPAA patient rights are the individual rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule that give a person control over how protected health information is used and disclosed, require transparency through privacy notices, allow access to and [...]

Organizations handle HIPAA compliance breaches effectively by promptly containing the incident, preserving evidence, conducting a documented breach risk assessment under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, completing required notifications within applicable timeframes, and implementing corrective actions [...]

HIPAA compliance policies are implemented in healthcare by converting HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, and HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule requirements into written, role-based procedures that are trained, enforced, audited, and [...]

HIPAA protects against genetic information discrimination by treating genetic information held by a HIPAA Covered Entity or Business Associate as protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, restricting when that information may be used [...]

HIPAA penalties for unauthorized disclosures can include investigation and enforcement by the HHS Office for Civil Rights, civil monetary penalties assessed under a tiered framework based on culpability, resolution agreements with corrective action plans, required [...]

Patient confidentiality is ensured under HIPAA compliance by limiting uses and disclosures of protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, applying the HIPAA Minimum Necessary Rule when treatment does not control the disclosure, securing [...]

HIPAA compliance in a small medical practice is implemented by establishing written policies and procedures under the HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule, completing and documenting a risk analysis and risk management plan, executing [...]

Consequences of HIPAA violations include regulatory investigations by the HHS Office for Civil Rights, corrective action obligations, civil monetary penalties assessed under a tiered structure based on culpability, potential criminal prosecution for certain unlawful acts [...]

HIPAA compliance standards are the enforceable federal requirements that govern how HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates use, disclose, safeguard, and respond to compromises of protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Security [...]