As most healthcare providers know, HIPAA requires that covered entities or business associates conduct an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (“ePHI”) held by the covered entity or business associate.[1] Providers who receive Meaningful Use incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) for implementing electronic health record (“EHR”) systems into their practices or operations are also likely aware of the fact that one of the many requirements for these incentive payments is to conduct a HIPAA security risk analysis annually. Now, perhaps more than ever before, both CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) is demonstrating the importance of ensuring that these risk analyses are performed, or providers can face dire consequences. Below are the top reasons to conduct a thorough HIPAA security risk analysis.
Continue Reading Top 5 Reasons to Conduct a Thorough HIPAA Security Risk Analysis
Data Security for Employer Health Plans Post-Anthem
The Anthem breach sent alarm waves through the health care industry and the employer health plan community. With 78.8 million affected individuals for Anthem and 11 million for the companion breach of Premera Blue Cross, the combined size ranks among the largest data breaches in history.
The Anthem and Premera breaches signal a sea change in the threat environment for health plans, a new reality that requires a fresh look at data security. Prudent employers with group health plans should take that fresh look now, by strengthening the data security provisions in their business associate agreements (BAAs) with third-party plan administrators, and also by updating their HIPAA-required security risk assessments.
Continue Reading Data Security for Employer Health Plans Post-Anthem