It’s time to circle back to the topic of remote access. Last month you were provided a checklist to send to your remote employees to assess workspace and workstation security. With new portable devices and web apps that support working from home, including transmitting large amounts of data with minimum resources, it’s important to share additional information that can help you protect your organization and your data.
Q: When dealing with a natural disaster such as the California wildfires, does the HIPAA Privacy Rule allow information to be shared more easily? What are some examples of changes to the Privacy Rule during these circumstances?
Tufts Health Plan, a Massachusetts-based health insurance company, reported a breach on November 25 that affected 60,545 individuals, according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.
The ability of healthcare organizations to defend against cyberthreats was a top priority entering 2020. As we close the book on the calendar year, the severity of these threats—and the frequency with which they are attacking healthcare organizations—has continued to increase at an alarming rate.
Q: What type of protected health information (PHI) can be used for marketing? Are authorizations always necessary when using PHI for marketing purposes? If not, what are some situations when patient authorization would not be required?
AspenPointe Inc., a Colorado-based mental health and behavioral healthcare provider, reported a breach on November 19 affecting 295,617 individuals, according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.
Risk is defined as the possibility that an event will occur that will adversely affect the achievement of objectives. Numerous internal and external risks can negatively affect the business intentions of management and the board. The healthcare industry is complex, and risk is everywhere.
Bruce L. Boros, MD, PA, DBA Advanced Urgent Care, a healthcare provider in Key West, Florida, on November 6 reported a security breach that affected 58,823 individuals, according the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.
Q: If we end a contract with a business associate (BA), does the BA need to provide us with assurance that all protected health information (PHI) has been destroyed? Is this something that should be written into the initial contract? What are the steps to take if the BA does not respond to requests to confirm deletion of PHI?
