Healthcare Compliance Updates & Tips

Information Blocking and the Future of Patient Care: Breaking Down the 8 Exceptions

President and CEO Gerry Blass sat down with Journal of AHIMA senior editor Mary Butler on a recent episode of the Hi Pitch Podcast to talk about the 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Final Rule and the eight information blocking exceptions. Blass was joined by attorney Helen Oscislawski, who spoke to the challenges her clients have faced as they prepare to comply with the rule, which goes into effect on April 5th.

Breaking Down HICP: Setting the Stage for a Safer World Online

President and CEO Gerry Blass sat down with HIMSS TV host Bill Siwicki on a recent episode of Digital Checkup. This video series features interviews with Bill and healthcare leaders and CEOs that spans a range of topics from leadership, patient access, interoperability, telehealth and more. On this specific episode, Bill asked Gerry about the new Health Information Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) Final Rule and what it means for leaders who are working to strength their organization’s cybersecurity.

Briefings on HIPAA Article Shines Light on Need for Better Patient Access

A February 1 article published in Briefings on HIPAA focuses on recent findings from the Office for Civil Rights’ much-anticipated 2016-2017 HIPAA Audits Industry Report released in December 2020. The article shines light on some of the flaws and challenges in the way patient access to information has been handled over the years.

COVID-19: Business Continuity Lessons Learned

Not only did the COVID-19 global pandemic change the way care is provided, it changed how security and compliance programs needed to be structured, especially with regard to disaster preparedness and business continuity. Though healthcare organizations typically have disaster recovery and business continuity (DR/BC) plans in place, it can often be difficult to operationalize those plans when a disaster arises.

8 Things You Need to Know About HITRUST Compliance

If you’re considering HITRUST compliance as a cybersecurity framework, here is a list of the top 8 points you should consider before moving ahead.

HIPAA and COVID-19 – A Timeline of OCR Notifications and Guidelines

We know. It can be difficult to find accurate and consistent information on HIPAA and the temporary changes due to COVID-19. To that end, we’ve put together a timeline and brief descriptions of the notifications and guidance issued by the OCR during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

A Broader Lens Into Vendor Risk Management

With a seemingly infinite number of digital pathways right to the doorsteps of healthcare providers, we need to work even harder to protect information that could be exposed online. That includes vendor risk management…

Protecting Health Information In The COVID-19 Era

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, ransomware attacks were on the rise. “COVID has simply increased risk of attacks due to more locations with a remote workforce, [protected health information] through telehealth, more phishing attacks, more opportunities that hackers like to take advantage of.”

Sharing Patient Information: Pros, Cons and Implications

The news late last year around Project Nightingale aroused interest from both healthcare organizations and the public on how and when protected health information (PHI) should be shared. With new technologies, new entrants to the healthcare market, how can healthcare providers balance HIPAA, cybersecurity protections, and the need to easily share data to improve patient care?

Keeping Networks Secure In The Age Of Telecommuting

Though telecommuting was on already on the rise at a rate of 2-3% per year, the COVID-19 pandemic required healthcare organizations to re-evaluate work from home policies and quickly enable a remote workforce. But, in the midst of a pandemic, when you have to act as quickly as possible, how do you also make sure your networks and operations are still protected?