The basis of any good security program is conducting a thorough and timely risk analysis; but that can be difficult for smaller healthcare organizations. That's why a federal agency will soon unveil an app designed to make the process easier.
The Obama administration's proposed fiscal 2015 budget would fund a new health IT safety surveillance program, as well as help bolster health data privacy and security activities.
The Department of Health and Human Services is taking the first steps toward resuming the HIPAA compliance audit program this year, examining business associates as well as covered entities. Find out what's planned.
A government agency in Puerto Rico has levied a multi-million dollar HIPAA penalty against a health insurer for a 2013 breach involving a mailing error that affected only about 13,000 beneficiaries.
Privacy notices are largely boring, confusing and ignored by patients. But federal regulators are holding a contest to spur development of patient-friendly, understandable notices to post online.
Covered entities and business associates will be under heightened data privacy and security scrutiny in 2014. But experts say there are several basic steps those organizations can take to ensure HIPAA compliance.
A recent spike in major health data breaches added to the Department of Health and Human Service's "wall of shame" website brings the total tally to 804 incidents. What's behind the upswing?
HealthcareInfoSecurity's second annual Top 10 Influencers recognizes leaders playing a critical role in healthcare data security and privacy. Find out who's on the list.
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a proposal that aims to remove legal barriers under the HIPAA Privacy Rule that may prevent state agencies from reporting mental health information used for gun background checks.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently mailed almost 49,000 Medicaid ID cards to the wrong recipients, its second breach incident reported in recent months.
Leon Rodriguez, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, could leave the HIPAA enforcement agency to become the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services if his presidential nomination is formalized and he wins Senate approval.
Another federal investigation of a relatively small health data breach has resulted in a financial penalty, this time for a physician group practice in Massachusetts. Find out the details behind the settlement.
Karen DeSalvo, M.D., health commissioner of New Orleans, will be the next national coordinator for health IT. What privacy and security issues will she face as leader of the office that crafts guidelines for the HITECH Act's EHR incentive program?
Healthcare organizations subject to an HHS fraud or breach investigation need to ensure they're prepared and can respond in a timely manner when investigators visit on-site, says former federal investigator Stephen Morreale.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights, which enforces HIPAA, has some compliance issues of its own to address, according to a new inspector general report. But OCR officials say they've been addressing those matters.
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