A recently published government guide outlines defensive strategies, recommendations, and best practices to combat pervasive cyberthreats affecting critical infrastructure. It also identifies known vulnerabilities that providers can assess their networks for, thereby minimizing risks before intrusions occur.
Although HIPAA helps protect the privacy of an individual’s medical and personal information, it can create deficits in care if it affects communication related to a patient’s medical needs as they transition between healthcare settings.
HIPAA security compliance leaders should ensure that their organization’s sanction policies are well documented, transparent, understood by all workforce members, and applied consistently to reinforce a robust HIPAA compliance program.
The Office for Civil Rights recently issued two resources to help explain to patients the privacy and security risks associated with telehealth services, as related to personal health information.
HHS released two reports recently that provide in-depth insights and compliance tips to help healthcare covered entities contend with cybersecurity threats.
Healthcare covered entities continue to have trouble getting patients their medical records. Since 2019, when the Office for Civil Rights began its Right of Access initiative, the HIPAA privacy and security enforcer has settled 45 cases related to patient requests for medical records.
A recent settlement between the Office for Civil Rights and UnitedHealthcare serves as a stark reminder of the importance of HIPAA compliance and the right of patients to access their medical records in a timely manner.
Robust authentication processes are often the first line of defense against cyberthreats. A recent Office for Civil Rights Cybersecurity newsletter emphasizes the importance of strong authentication in safeguarding electronic protected health information (ePHI).
