The departure of an employee can open the door for HIPAA privacy and security breaches but sound HIPAA compliance policies and procedures can be built into an organization’s exit process.
Systemic and known cybersecurity vulnerabilities put patients' safety at risk; despite that, cybersecurity gets little support from the C-suite, a federal task force found.
Cybersecurity is a full-time, dedicated job, but the healthcare industry is facing a cybersecurity staffing shortage. Attracting and retaining qualified professionals can be a challenge but it's not impossible.
Q: If paper documents that contain PHI are shredded, is it acceptable for an organization to dispose of them in a dumpster? If not, should we hire a business associate to dispose of papers that contain protected health information?
Q: What information can safely be imprinted on a nursing home resident’s wristband (for going out to a doctor appointment or other activity such as a baseball game)? We would like to provide enough information for emergency or safety purposes but not enough to put one at risk for ID theft.
A new bill is in progress that would require HHS to develop guidelines for when a patient’s opioid use disorder information can be prominently displayed in the medical record.
Q: Are we obligated to send referral notes, consult notes, and other records from another physician? I have always been told that you can only release records produced by your office.
