Blog
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Incidental Disclosure vs. Privacy Violation: Train Your Staff
In a recent Kentucky court case, a hospital fired a nurse for an alleged HIPAA privacy violation. The nurse had been helping a technician and…
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Building an Emergency Preparedness Plan: Communications
As a rural health clinic (RHC) or federally qualified health center (FQHC), you must have an Emergency Preparedness Plan in place. First, you did an…
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Building an Emergency Preparedness Plan: Policies and Procedures
Are you still developing your Emergency Preparedness Plan for your rural health clinic (RHC) or federally qualified health center (FQHC)? Most likely, you’ve already conducted an…
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Building an Emergency Preparedness Plan: Risk Assessment
Are you ready to meet the Emergency Preparedness Plan deadline for your rural health clinic (RHC) or federally qualified health center (FQHC)? The purpose of…
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The Three Exceptions to a HIPAA Breach
Many people have a “better safe than sorry” mentality when it comes to privacy and HIPAA breaches. Similar to how doctors, nurses, and technicians often…
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Should I Have an Information System Asset Inventory?
Although you aren’t required to have an information system asset inventory, having one will help you meet several requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule, including…
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Why Do I Need a Business Associate Agreement?
Yesterday (April 20, 2017), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement of $31,000 with an Illinois nonprofit. The nonprofit had failed to enter…
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Can I Have Patient Communication on My Website?
Patients don’t want to be put on hold. They’re tired of accommodating to constraining office hours. Consequently, they’re looking for easy ways to communicate with…
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My EMR/EHR Makes Me HIPAA Compliant, Right?
Far too many privacy officers lean on their electronic medical record (EMR) or electronic health record (EHR) system as a HIPAA compliance crutch. They believe…
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Is Your Backup Data Secured?
In January 2017, a HIPAA-covered Texas clinic learned that someone had stolen an unencrypted external hard drive. The thief took it from a locked closet…
