Any provider that transmits any information in electronic form (doctors, clinics, hospitals, surgical centers, psychologists, dentists, chiropractors, nursing homes, assisted the living, pharmacies, etc.) is a covered entity under HIPAA and, therefore, must comply with HIPAA laws and regulations. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was passed by Congress in order to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop national rules for the protection of electronic healthcare information.

The rules mandated that states adopt these federal protections. The HI-TECH act, a part of HIPAA, also known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 was adopted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It was intended to promote the adoption of and meaningful use of electronic medical records and it addresses and strengthens penalties for violation of HIPAA protections of electronic health information. 

The three main HIPAA rules that make up the newly revised OMNIBUS Rue of 2013 include Privacy Rule: Establishes the set of national standards for the protection of health information. Security Rule: Establishes the set of national standards for the protection of health information that is electronically stored and/or transmitted.

Breach Notification Rule: Establishes the set of national notification requirements if a Covered Entity discovers a breach of unsecured protected health information. Attendees will be provided with an overview of the basic requirements under HIPAA, including:

• Notice of Privacy Practices
• Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information
• Privacy Officer Designation
• Patient Access to Protected Health Information
• Administrative, Technical and Physical Safeguards
• Business Associate Requirements

HIPAA compliance is one of the most cited and least understood laws in the typical medical practice. Although HIPAA has been in place for decades, it has changed rapidly in the last ten years due to the rapid proliferation of technology in medicine. In addition to these progressive changes, the law itself underwent a major overhaul in 2013 resulting in any practice that has not updated their HIPAA materials since that time being out of compliance. The speaker will highlight the major changes that must have been implemented after the 2013 HIPAA updates. 

Thereafter, the attendee will learn the basic requirements for a Notice of Privacy Practices as well as when authorizations are and are not required for the use and disclosure of a patient's protected health information. The latter half of the webinar will focus on the identification of a breach and what the required process is to remedy a breach if it is determined one has occurred.

The federal Office for Civil Rights, the government entity tasked with enforcing HIPAA began a preliminary pilot program in 2015 to ensure a certain number of random compliance audits of Covered Entities. The initial overview of HIPAA requirements and policies will help the attendee determine if his or her practice is compliant. Thereafter, the speaker will highlight what "red flags" the Office for Civil Rights looks for when determining whether to audit practice and learn what to do in the event you are selected for a random audit.