Tag Archive for HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA vs The Cloud

September 21, 2011 admin No comments

data from the cloud v1a HIPAA vs The CloudHIPAA Compliance: The objective behind

Sensitivity in maintaining individual health record of every person is too significant and this is what gets ensured under HIPAA security compliance, which aims at protecting an individual’s information to be obtained, created, used and maintained electronically at a specific healthcare unit or hospital. As a result of this rule, the healthcare unit is responsible for taking every measure to keep this information confidential, secure, reliable and free from any electronic interference. But healthcare units usually find it tough to meet the expectations of this security rule & it requires a more technical approach in abiding by the directives of the security rule.

Healthcare unit’s responsibility in ensuring HIPAA security compliance

Under HIPAA security compliance, each of the three aspects, namely administrative, technical and physical, has to be adhered to by implementation specifications. These specifications specify the modus operandi for meeting the three aspects. A healthcare unit or hospital has to either implement a security measure to achieve this objective, execute the given implementation specifications or, may not put into practice either one of the two. But as part of HIPAA compliance, the body has to document whichever choice it wants to implement and this document should additionally comprise of basis of the evaluation on which this decision has been arrived at. Outcome of all this can be visibly noticed in the form of a challenge for IT professionals working in health sector.

Shouldering HIPAA compliance responsibility with cloud computing vendor

No surprise, emergence of cloud computing looked like easing the scenario but with enough caution, given that an outside agency in the form of cloud providing associate is involved besides the healthcare unit. Because of this vendor-client partnering, the ultimate responsibility to abide by HIPAA compliance resting with the healthcare unit gets pooled with the vendor, since implementation gets carried out at the vendor end. Thus, there is much room for the sensitive information getting trickled at the remote location where cloud model has been setup. In this situation, the healthcare unit will have to adhere to all the security aspects and implementation specifications as discussed above, so as to satisfy the HIPAA security rule. In the process, the healthcare unit will have to extend its interference and control at the cloud computing associate’s location in terms of integrity, encryption, data transfer & management, etc., which this body earlier left up to business associate due to contractual limitations or budget constraints.

Documentation of roles

Obviously, the healthcare unit has an opportunity this way to allot even responsibility to its cloud computing business associate and keep it under the scanner, as if HIPAA compliance is not just the healthcare unit’s liability, but is as much an accountability of that vendor. The documented modus operandi of this body can well include the extent to which it has involved vendor and along with, ask the vendor to document its procedures and practices in following the technical requirements and the HIPAA compliance as a whole.

While cloud computing can be the technical answer for healthcare IT professionals to successfully satisfy HIPAA security compliance, the organisations in healthcare can well ensure strict adherence of HIPAA rules by shouldering equal responsibility with their cloud computing business associates.

About emPower eLearning

emPower  is a leading provider of comprehensive Healthcare Compliance Solutions through Learning Management System (LMS). Its mission is to provide innovative security solutions to enable compliance with applicable laws and regulations and maximize business performance. empower provides range of courses to manage compliance required by regulatory bodies such as OSHA, HIPAA, Joint commission and Red Flag Rule etc. Apart from this emPower also offers custom demos and tutorials for your website, business process management and software implementation.

Its Learning Management system (LMS) allows students to retrieve all the courses 24/7/365 by accessing the portal. emPower e-learning training program is an interactive mode of learning that guides students to progress at their own pace.

For additional information, please visit http://www.empowerbpo.com/HIPAA_Compliance_Training.html.

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Dictating From Anywhere – Violation of HIPAA Privacy Rule?

September 12, 2011 admin No comments

2216147 com digitalvoi Dictating From Anywhere – Violation of HIPAA Privacy Rule?Digital voice recorders, mobile phone aps, or even speech recognition may violate the HIPPA Privacy Rule when physicians go mobile with dictation.

Health organizations are required to protect patient privacy under the guidelines set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Medical transcription services utilize secure servers and encrypt files to protect against privacy breaches, but doctors can easily violate the HIPAA Privacy Rule, create poor audio quality dictations and cause transcription errors when dictating from “anywhere.”

Protecting Patient Privacy and HIPAA Compliance

Physicians who transmit patient data electronically must comply with the HIPAA privacy rule to protect patient privacy. The Office of Civil Rights Privacy Rule describes “protected health information” (PHI) as being “individually identifiable information” that is transmitted by any media between the physician and his business associates within or outside the HIPAA-covered entity.

Therefore, if a physician is dictating a clinic note in the hallway outside the exam room and that information can be readily overheard by other patients, the doctor is not HIPAA compliant. If the physician uses a digital voice recorder without password protection or encryption and the recorder is left unsecured, this would also be a HIPAA violation. Doctors should take steps to ensure HIPAA compliance when dictating.

Digital Voice Recorders and Poor Quality Audio

Portable devices such as digital voice recorders and mobile phones, when used in public places, pick up background noise that obscures the dictator’s voice. Even simple movement of the recorder can cause static; and a doctor dictating in a car might as well be dictating in a wind tunnel if he has the window down or AC going. Dictating on the move increases the chances of background noise, changes in volume, and other interruptions that compromise sound quality. These same distractions are likely to result in poor dictation habits and incomplete dictations.

Dictation Errors Become Transcription Errors

While dictating on the move can seem convenient to the busy physician, it is not the best way to improve accuracy and rarely results in organized and concise medical documents. When on the move, physicians are not likely to have ready access to necessary patient information which leads to misinformation and/or incomplete dictations. Rushing from one location to the next with recorder in hand, breathlessly dictating amid heels clicking and doors squeaking, is a poor dictation habit.

Dictation practices that follow a routine will save time, not those that are crammed in between other activities. Not only does dictation multi-tasking lead to transcription errors, it also leads to the possibility of recording personal conversations and even restroom visits when distracted physicians accidentally leave their recorders on.

Mobile Dictation for Emergencies Only

Modern technologies provide physicians many options for dictating, but dictating on the go should be reserved for emergencies only. Stat dictations that need to be done immediately for the welfare of the patient are often called in to a service and are not done with the daily dictations.

For everyday dictating, it is much more efficient to establish a routine. This will save time, protect patient privacy, and result in quality medical documents done right the first time. Very few physicians are trained in the art of dictation, but it is a valuable skill for the busy physician to master.

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