Back to Football…Back to Compliance

FINALLY the 2016-2017 NFL Football season will kick off today with a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Super Bowl Champs, The Denver Broncos (our favorite of course) and the Carolina Panthers.

Both teams have spent months preparing themselves for this one game on this one day. The details of each plan have been worked out and even the contingency plans have been prepared. What if the Broncos fumble? We have a plan for that! What about a blocked punt? Got that covered as well. Now how about if we are down 2 TD’s? Yep, you betcha! COVERED!

With the NFL season kicking off and the kids back in school, NOW is the time to make sure your HIPAA Privacy and Security Plans are covered. Can you say you have a documented plan for the following top 5 areas that companies get fined the most?

1. Breach Plan – Do you know what you’re going to do when you have a security breach? And how about handling the media if you have 500 or more health records stolen? Yea, you have to report it to the local media outlets.
2. BAAs – Do you have BAAs with all your vendors? Are they all signed? Have they been reviewed in the last 12 months? If not, you may have a fine coming!
3. HIPAA Audit – You may think you don’t need a HIPAA audit. After all, you’re a small practice, so you should be fine, right?… Well, I hate to spoil your party, but you are now a larger target since the OCR has decided to investigate companies and practices with 500 and fewer patients.
4. PC, Mac, and Smart Device Encryption – This item continues to gain momentum for fines. All of your PCs, Macs, and smart devices need to be encrypted. Period. The loss or theft of a portable device can cost you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines depending on the scope.
5. Privacy Notice – Last, but not the least, is your Privacy Notice. You know that poster you have on the wall of your office that has not been updated since 2010? Or how about the Privacy Notice that your patients sign that has not been touched since 2008. You need to review and update them yearly to stay compliant.

So, there are my top 5 Kickoff to HIPAA Compliance items that you need to focus on. It doesn’t take long and the cost is a lot less than a fine and having to notify your clients of a security breach! That will cost you your business. Let’s partner and get you on your Game Plan for HIPAA compliance today.