As part of the HITECH revisions to HIPAA, providers are required to report all HIPAA breaches, regardless of the number of individuals affected to HHS on an annual basis. The deadline for this report is Saturday, March 1st, 2014. This reporting … [Continue reading]
Medicare EHR Incentive Program Deadline Extended
February 12, 2014 By
CMS announced last week that it has extended the registration and attestation deadline for the Medicare EHR Incentive Programs to March 31, 2014 for eligible professionals. This month long extension will aid eligible professionals in compiling their … [Continue reading]
Washington Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Webinar
February 11, 2014 By
The Washington State Health Care Authority announced that it will be hosting a webinar to aid in the registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. This will help providers who are registering and attesting to both adopt, implement and upgrade … [Continue reading]
Proposed HIPAA Rule to Enhance Criminal Background Check System
January 13, 2014 By
On January 7, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the HIPAA Privacy Rule expressly permitting certain covered entities to disclose specific information about individuals … [Continue reading]
DOH Issues New Hospital CN Rule & Transparency Requirements
January 6, 2014 By
Prior to the end of the year, and in compliance with Governor Inslee's directive, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) issued new hospital Certificate of Need (CN) rules and transparency requirements for existing hospitals. Effective January … [Continue reading]
Stolen Thumb Drive Proves Costly for Dermatology Practice
January 3, 2014 By
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a $150,000 settlement with a dermatology practice in Massachusetts that arose out of a stolen thumb drive. The unencrypted drive, which contained the health information of … [Continue reading]
OIG’s Report Highlights Enforcement Successes in 2014
December 30, 2013 By
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently published its Semiannual Report to the U.S. Congress. This Report summarizes the OIG’s enforcement activities from March, 2013 to September, 2013. The Report highlights the OIG’s significant efforts … [Continue reading]
Stark Law Donation Exception Extended to 2021
December 23, 2013 By
Beating the deadline by mere days, CMS and the OIG released their final rules related to the Stark Law exception/Anti-Kickback safe harbor for EHR donation arrangements. The new rules extend the donation arrangement exception until December 31, … [Continue reading]
Meaningful Use Audits – Security Risk Analysis
December 13, 2013 By
‘Tis the season for Meaningful Use, the time of year when eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals (EHs) compile their data from the meaningful use measures and prepare for attestation. It is also the season of meaningful use audits. A … [Continue reading]
UW Medicine Notifies 90,000 Patients of HIPAA Breach
December 3, 2013 By
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, UW Medicine reported a HIPAA security breach, affecting roughly 90,000 patients at Harborview and UW Medical Centers. In early October, a UW Medicine employee opened an e-mail attachment containing malicious … [Continue reading]
