HIPPA

The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information, and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization. The Rule also gives patients rights over their health information, including rights to examine and obtain a copy of their health records, and to request corrections.

NEW EVENTS

That includes documentation related to HIPAA education that the organization has provided to its staff in all departments. Additionally, covered entities should be ready to show that they've reviewed all their business associate agreements to ensure they're up-to-date and include all the HIPAA Omnibus Rule provisions that went into effect in 2013.

FEDERAL REGULATORS PLAN TO RESUME RANDOM HIPAA COMPLIANCE AUDITS IN 2015

Why recent HHS HIPAA guidance related to Ebola is also an important reminder to covered entities about dealing with patient privacy issues during all kinds of public health emergencies;
Why business associates will be a bigger target of OCR's HIPAA enforcement actions in 2015;
HIPAA Omnibus compliance issues that are still posing challenges to covered entities and business associates more than one year after the rule went into effect.

SOURCES

• http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/interviews/prepping-for-2015s-hipaa-a...
• http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/interviews/addressing-health-data-sha...
• http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Newly+Updated+2015+HIPAA+Policy...
• http://www.hipaa.com/