Tip of the Day: HHS guidance on HITECH amendments to HIPAA

Oh, just when you thought HIPAA couldn't get any more complicated, along comes HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ), which amends notification procedures when a breach has occurred in protected health information.

The Health and Human Services Department recently released guidance on what counts as “unsecured” information -- if it is not secured through the application of a technology or methodology that renders it unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals and that meets standards specified in guidance published by the government, according to law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll.

Complying with a 60-day statutory deadline for issuing that guidance, HHS has published information and a request for comments on these technologies and methodologies. Read up, then let me know what steps you're taking to comply with the new normal on protected health info.

Tip of the Day: Check out HHS's new HIPAA site

I know, I know -- there's nothing you'd rather do than bone up on HIPAA. But it remains one of the nation's thorniest benefits-related laws, and the more information the better, yes?

The revamped site features information about:
* The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
* Privacy provisions in the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act.

The site also offers consumers info about:
* Medical records.
* Personal representatives.
* Health information in the workplace.
* Court orders and subpoenas.
* Notices of privacy breaches.

Click here to visit the site.

Tip of the Day

Revisit employee medical confidentiality requirements.

With changes to the ADA and FMLA, and the persistent unknowns of HIPAA, experts at Ogletree Deakins advise employers to brush up on the laws and their provisions for employers regarding maintaining workers' medical privacy. Click here for the firm's advisory.

News You Can Use: HHS reaches first-ever monetary HIPAA settlement

On July 17, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a $100,000 settlement with Seattle-based Providence Health & Services for violations of the HIPAA privacy rules -- a first-ever move for the agency. The violations involved lost and stolen computers containing patients' health information. In addition to the monetary settlment, Providentce promised to “ensure that it will appropriately safeguard identifiable electronic patient information against theft and loss.”