By Jordan MacAvoy The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was introduced to safeguard sensitive patient data. As expected, a good number of covered entities and business associates are yet to implement the safeguards fully. Most of these healthcare providers, business associates, and organizations that are struggling to implement the compliance … [Read more...] about 5 things to do before a HIPPA audit happens to your medical office
HIPAA
Failure to prevent ransomware attacks exposes healthcare providers to costly negligence lawsuits
Custodians of personal health information have become a prime target for ransomware attacks. In addition to fines for HIPAA violations, failure to safeguard patient medical information against these threats can lead to liability under state negligence and gross negligence laws, including within the framework of potentially disastrous class action lawsuits. The recent case … [Read more...] about Failure to prevent ransomware attacks exposes healthcare providers to costly negligence lawsuits
Fraud recoveries grow as feds target telemedicine and COVID-19 add-on test scams
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and continued sequestration of enforcement funds, the federal Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (Program) reversed recent trends and recovered more money in FY 2020 than it had the year before. In fact, recoveries for the year reached nearly $3.1 billion, the highest return since 2016. Here’s a briefing for medical office managers on the … [Read more...] about Fraud recoveries grow as feds target telemedicine and COVID-19 add-on test scams
Healthcare data breaches hit a new high in first half of 2021
While healthcare data breaches have become an all-too-common occurrence, the problem seems to be getting worse. According to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), there have already been 360 federally reported data breaches involving health information in the first half of 2021, the highest total for the first six months of a year since the government began tracking this data … [Read more...] about Healthcare data breaches hit a new high in first half of 2021
New HHS policy makes your office potentially liable for LGBTQ discrimination
While it doesn’t directly relate to billing and reimbursement, federal civil rights laws have an impact on certain aspects of healthcare operations. These laws ban your office from discriminating on the basis of protected personal characteristics, including sex. So, compliance managers need to be aware that on May 10, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an … [Read more...] about New HHS policy makes your office potentially liable for LGBTQ discrimination
New OCR data shed light on the costs of privacy noncompliance
HIPAA enforcement isn’t nearly as fat a cash cow as enforcement of False Claims Act (FCA) and other healthcare fraud laws is, it still takes a lot of money out of the pockets of providers and into the hands of the federal government. But tracking the economics of HIPAA enforcement is tough because the government doesn’t publish data on HIPAA recovery amounts the way it does … [Read more...] about New OCR data shed light on the costs of privacy noncompliance
How to keep your email compliant with HIPAA
By Ron Slyker bio If you are a medical office manager, you have more than likely heard the term “HIPAA compliance." Most relate it to the protection of patient health information (PHI) within the office, but HIPAA compliance extends beyond internal communications. Ensuring email is HIPAA compliant is one of the most overlooked components of HIPAA compliance. A common … [Read more...] about How to keep your email compliant with HIPAA
What do I say to patients who ask about my team’s vaccination status?
By Paul Edwards bio As vaccinations continue to be distributed to more and more members of the American workforce, one of the recurring questions we are getting concerns how to respond to patients who ask about whether or not your team has been vaccinated. Patients might pose this question over the phone before their scheduled appointment, or might ask it to one of your … [Read more...] about What do I say to patients who ask about my team’s vaccination status?
What medical office managers need to know about HIPAA
By Jordan MacAvoy bio The Health Information Portability and Protection Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996. The regulation stipulates standards that healthcare organizations and vendors must adhere to when it comes to patients’ protected health information (PHI). HIPAA-beholden organizations must secure their PHI for them to gain compliance status. Healthcare organizations and … [Read more...] about What medical office managers need to know about HIPAA
Cybersecurity risks rise when medical admin staff work from home
By Ron Slyker The number of people who work from home has slowly increased from year to year. In 2020 that number skyrocketed as companies including medical offices were forced to implement telecommuting policies. Making the transition from traditional office to home office has brought some challenges, but arguably the most challenging aspect of the process has been … [Read more...] about Cybersecurity risks rise when medical admin staff work from home