HIPAAtrek Blog
Refresh your HIPAA know-how.
5 Key Questions About HIPAA Violations, Fines, and Penalties
Updated May 28, 2019 Thousands of patient records breached. Millions of dollars in fines following nightmarish lawsuits. The news is full of harrowing stories of healthcare organizations caught in HIPAA violations, exposing sensitive patient data, and worse. Maybe you...
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7 Crucial Questions About HIPAA Authorizations
Getting patient authorization can feel like a hurdle in your daily workflow. However, it's key to maintaining patients’ right to their private medical information. With a patient’s authorization, you have permission to use and disclose their medical record according...
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How to Write a Breach Notification Letter (Sample Letter Included)
After a breach, one of your top priorities is to mail a breach notification letter to everyone whose protected health information (PHI) was compromised. But how do you write a HIPAA breach notification letter? The Breach Notification Rule requires you to write your...
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HIPAA Breach Notification: Who, When, and How
You already know that the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires you to notify all individuals whose protected health information (PHI) is compromised in a breach. But who else needs to be notified, and how? When do you have to send breach notification letters? Your...
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What is a Four-Factor Breach Risk Assessment?
You don’t need to be a healthcare professional to know that data breaches have plagued the industry for years. A breach is an impermissible use or disclosure that compromises the privacy or security of protected health information (PHI). According to the HIPAA Breach...
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Top 3 Insider-Caused Data Breaches and How to Prevent Them
In Verizon’s 2018 Protected Health Information Data Breach Report, researchers found that nearly 58% of healthcare security incidents involved insiders. Healthcare staff, for various reasons, often violate HIPAA and cause data breaches that compromise protected health...
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Myth vs. Fact: HIPAA Compliance Implementation
Health care providers must put HIPAA rules into practice, but the law doesn’t say how. Since the HIPAA privacy rule and security rule came into effect in April 2003 and 2005 respectively, health care providers have searched for HIPAA compliance implementation...
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Myth vs. Fact: Security Risk Analysis
As a company that handles protected health information (PHI), HIPAA requires you to analyze how you manage risks to your PHI. This is known as a security risk analysis (SRA). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says risk analyses are vital to HIPAA...
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Myth vs. Fact: HIPAA-Compliant Communication
Careless communication can get HIPAA-covered companies into a world of trouble. Nevertheless, many health care professionals fail to secure protected health information (PHI) in their communication. Unsecured messages put your organization at risk. An unauthorized...
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Myth vs. Fact: HIPAA Training Requirements
HIPAA law is a complex world of “dos,” “don’ts,” and grey areas. You know HIPAA training is required by law, but you may feel unsure exactly how and when you’re supposed to train your staff. What makes it worse is that many vendors mislead HIPAA-covered companies in...
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