HIPAA

The OCR is doing more HIPAA audits this year, and you need to be ready. Here’s how to do your own internal audit.

The Office for Civil Rights is upping its HIPAA audit game this year. If you want to be safe, you will, too.

The increasing prevalence of organizations’ data being held hostage until ransom is paid should cause physicians and all holders of PHI to have a “Plan B.”

Private payers are finding fraud and abuse as a way to recoup funds they say were wrongly paid. Here's how to respond to these requests.

Providers and vendors alike at HIMSS16 seem to have reached a better understanding on how important data security is to their everyday business.

New guidance from HHS’ Office of Civil Rights has not only clarified patients’ rights to request a medical record, but also what practices can charge.

When it comes to HIPAA, one security expert says most healthcare organizations incorrectly assume they're doing enough to secure PHI.

With the new rules around the confidentiality of substance abuse records circulated this month, physicians need to update policies and procedures.

If your practice hasn't already, make sure to hire an outside auditing firm to review your billing records for possible overpayments.

In this day and age, protecting the privacy of patients is becoming harder to achieve - in some cases, because of patients.

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice can help structure compliance programs in relation to HIPAA and cybersecurity.

Here are different ways practices can avoid major billing errors that could lead to HIPAA violations and identity theft.

More healthcare organizations - and thus, more patients - are being victimized by cyber criminals. Physician practices are not immune to this threat.

Want to avoid seeing your practice getting an audit from OCR? Here are six simple steps you can improve data security.

The latest guidance from the FDA in relation to cybersecurity vulnerabilities is something that physicians and patients need to know.

If your practice suffers a security breach, staff must know their part in implementing an incident response.

Training your medical staff to securely handle and protect sensitive patient data isn't as hard as you think.

A recent case indicates that practices cannot cut corners when it comes to ensuring business associates are compliant with HIPAA.

The smartphones, tablets, and laptops are valuable tools to many physicians, but they can also represent real risk in the event that they are stolen.

Once they understand the full meaning of the law, a lot of the negative connotations healthcare providers have on HIPAA can be dispelled.

Phase 2 HIPAA audits are coming up soon. Here are five tips on how they differ from Phase 1 and what you should know.

The issues of increased cyber-hacking risks and difficulty collecting from patients with high-deductible health plans are unlikely to cease in 2016. Be prepared for both.

Having a proper plan in place to dispose of computer and electronic equipment will protect your New Year’s celebrations from getting ruined by a data breach.

Part two of a two-part series where Physicians Practice looks back at the top health IT issues of the year. More practices looked to the cloud in 2015.

Recent Office for Civil Rights (OCR) settlements with pricey fines highlight the continued need for HIPAA and HITECH compliance.

Several six-figure HIPAA settlements were levied against healthcare organizations this year. Here are the top HIPAA incidents of 2015.

On Friday the 13th, a ruling against the FTC was a stroke of good luck for the rest of the healthcare industry, which is already overregulated.

Many physicians feel that useless chart documentation has grown to consume most of the patient visit, leaving little time for patient care.

Practice owners should be leery of potential financial fraud, which seems to peak at the end of the year. Here are some things to look out for.

When it comes to HIPAA breaches, entity size does not matter. What matters is the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)’s oversight and compliance.