{"id":2006,"date":"2013-03-20T12:18:46","date_gmt":"2013-03-20T12:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.medicalbillersandcodersblog.com\/?p=2006"},"modified":"2025-05-21T13:03:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T13:03:46","slug":"how-best-are-medical-practices-prepared-to-address-hipaa-breaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicalbillersandcoders.com\/blog\/how-best-are-medical-practices-prepared-to-address-hipaa-breaches\/","title":{"rendered":"How best are medical practices prepared to address HIPAA breaches?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contrary to the notion that government\u2019s move to digitize healthcare information would enable healthcare providers, doctors, and insurance companies comply more aptly with HIPAA\u2019s guidelines for patients\u2019 privacy and security, there has been an upsurge in HIPAA breaches with providers being reported for breaches of some kind or the other.<\/p>\n

Electronic Health Record<\/strong> (EHR) systems, which are made mandatory for providers seeking to attain \u2018Meaningful Use\u2019 status, have shown propensity to be manipulated either internally or by unscrupulous external elements.<\/p>\n

Either way, providers have been held accountable and penalized for breach of HIPAA\u2019s mandate for ensuring patients\u2019 information safety and security. With the cost data breaches being unbearable and providers or doctors\u2019 credibility at stake, it is inevitable that HIPAA breaches are responded instantly with remedial measures, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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  • Replacing or removing the staff that may have committed the violation at a particular EHR access point. If the HIPAA breach is traced to an external attack, EHR access may need to be secured against all possible external threats such as hacks or thefts by manipulating EHR system passwords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Parallel recommendation to improve the HIPAA program; an intrinsic part of such improvement program would necessarily mean reframing EHR policy and staff training or reorientation in accordance with changing EHR environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Apprising your EHR vendors of the need for better customizing the EHR systems so that you may possibly withstand any kind of threats to patients\u2019 health data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Establishing protocols for tasks, timelines and communication among the team to ensure everything on your EHR system runs as smoothly as possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information (EPHI).Irrespective of the compliance requirements, it is important that scope of the assessment is clearly defined, and communicated across the staff entrusted with the responsibility of conducting healthcare data in accordance with \u2018Meaningful Use\u2019 criterion under HIPAA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Determining how personal health information (PHI) and electronic personal health information (EPHI) are received, stored, transmitted, accessed or disclosed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Documenting HHS, which will require the analysis in writing, including material gathered and the corrective actions took to remediate problems uncovered by the assessment. The significance of such reports is that they act reference as well as proof during audits or verification by authorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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