A Current Risk Analysis means Money To receive maximum payments from the Quality Payment Program (QPP) provisions of MACRA a practice must prove performance in meeting the Advancing Care Information (ACI) requirement. Central to satisfying the ACI requirement is conducting a thorough security risk analysis. The definition of this risk analysis is taken directly from … Continue reading
HIPAA Myth: Small practices need not be concerned about HIPAA! Reality: A small Covered Entity (CE) in Idaho (The Hospice of North Idaho) had an unencrypted laptop containing PHI stolen. As this is a small practice the number of potentially impacted individuals was less than 500. There was no proof that any of the medical … Continue reading
HIPAA: The Risks of Ignoring it are too Great The first of the laws in what has become HIPAA was passed in 1996. It wasn’t until over a decade later that these laws started to have consequences for ignoring them. With the passing of the Omnibus Rule in 2013 the law included enforcement (random audits) … Continue reading
GDPR is here, so what? (Part 2) Previously we looked at the impact GDPR laws have on the use of “personal data.” In this post we will address Subject Access Requests, portability, and the right to be forgotten. This law provides users with many rights, key among them is the opportunity for an individual to … Continue reading
GDPR is here, so what? (Part 1) The massive EU privacy laws became effective on May 25th, 2018, so what does it mean? First, what is GDPR. GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and it includes a series of laws that place restrictions on the use of “personal data.” These are different restrictions, so … Continue reading
Medical Data Under Attack! (Part 2) It’s no longer if, but when. As mentioned in a previous post the value of health information on the dark web is very high, up to twenty times more valuable than even financial information. That’s why many security professionals believe that the odds are high that your data will be … Continue reading
Blockchain – A HIPAA Solution? There is no questioning that the term “blockchain” generates interest and traffic. But what is a blockchain and is there an application for it in healthcare? Moreover, how will it impact HIPAA? Blockchain is a distributed secure ledger. It is not a database. My friend Dennis Nordstrom tells me, “If … Continue reading
Medical Data Under Attack! It’s no longer if, but when (part 1) As has been well documented the value of health information on the dark web is very high, up to twenty times more valuable than even financial information. It is not a surprise because much of your financial information can be changed (banks, account … Continue reading
What is the Weakest Link in your Security? In a survey of more than 1,000 employees across the U.S. MediaPro reports that 7 of 10 employees lack the awareness to stop preventable computer security events. The good news is that in the prior year survey MediaPro reported 9 out of 10 lacked that awareness. Although … Continue reading
Does it seem like healthcare is stuck in the 1990’s because modern modes of digital communication have been found to not be compliant? If you think that this is the case, you are only partially correct. Recently there has been some confusion from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding text messaging. In … Continue reading
