05/24/2016 - HIPAA Compliance: What's changed?

During the EMS Live in Wisconsin podcast on Tuesday, May 24, our guest was Jeff Grady, Senior Director with Three Pillars Security Solutions in Madison.

HIPAA compliance has moved well past simply handing the patient a HIPAA compliance brochure explaining their rights and getting their signature.  HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Conducting a periodic HIPAA Security Risk Analysis is definitely a required mandate of HIPAA compliance for ambulance services as the organization and its employees and volunteers come in contact with ePHI (electronic patient health information).

The developing best practice is to complete a Security Risk Analysis on an annual basis (or after any significant change in your technology environment) due to some relatively recent pronouncements that apply to those organizations who need to comply with ‘meaningful use’ reporting requirements.

Some of the questions discussed, include:
 

1. HIPAA has been around for quite some time now – what’s changed and why is there a renewed sense of urgency in making sure you’re compliant?
2. What are some basic differences between meeting compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule as compared to the Privacy Rule of HIPAA?
3. What is ‘willful neglect’ and why is it critical to avoid the potential of being found in ‘willful neglect’ under HIPAA?
4. If your Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendor states that they meet HIPAA compliance – does that meet your obligation under HIPAA?
5. What would be the key steps to make sure that you’re meeting “today’s” HIPAA compliance standards?

Co-hosts include Chris Anderson, Joe Covelli, Patrick Ryan, Dan Williams.  >> Click for more information.