What is covered under HIPAA?
It may be a well-known piece of law, but what is actually covered under HIPAA? What information does HIPAA protect to ensure that patients’ privacy…
Read MoreHIPAA Questions and Answers
Why is HIPAA important?
Is workplace gossip a HIPAA violation?
What does HIPAA stand for?
What are HIPAA identifiers?
Is Microsoft Teams HIPPA compliant?
Does HIPAA Apply to Pharmacies?
Does HIPAA Apply to Dentists?
What is considered PHI?
What is considered Protected Health Information under HIPAA?
In order to be HIPAA compliant, organisations must know what is considered Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA. This is essential because anything that does…
Who does HIPAA apply to?
It may seem obvious who HIPAA applies to – anyone with access to health information – but it is not as simple as one might…
Who can violate HIPAA?
One of the main aims Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is to safeguard patient privacy, but who can violate HIPAA? The Act…
Does HIPAA apply to employers?
The complicated nature of healthcare legislation can make it hard to interpret when HIPAA does apply to employers. This is, in part, due to the…
What happens if HIPAA is violated?
Whether accidental or intentional, what happens if HIPAA is violated? Can employees be fired for violating HIPAA? What penalties are there for covered entities? These…
When should you promote HIPAA Awareness?
Ideally, there should be no need to promote HIPAA awareness, as employees would always be aware of HIPAA and acting in a HIPAA-compliant manner. However,…
Is SharePoint HIPAA compliant?
It may be one of the most popular cloud-based document management services on the market, but is SharePoint HIPAA compliant? Developed by Microsoft, SharePoint is…
What is HIPAA Authorization?
HIPAA is long and complex, with many different stipulations and requirements. Here, we examine just one part of the HIPAA compliance requirements, answering the question:…
What does HIPAA Training do?
First introduced in 1996 to allow workers to maintain health insurance cover as they moved from one job to another, the Health Insurance Portability and…
What is HIPAA Compliance Software?
HIPAA compliance software provides a range of tools to help organizations achieve compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and maintain compliance…
Can I get fired for an accidental HIPAA violation?
Can employees be fired if they accidentally commit a HIPPA violation? The answer to this question will depend on a range of factors, not least…
How Often Should HIPAA Refresher Training be Provided for Nurses?
For HIPAA entities it can be tricky to determine how regularly HIPAA training should be conducted as the Privacy Rule states that it need only…
Is HIPAA still in effect?
It has been 26 years since it was enacted, but is HIPAA still in effect? Yes, it is, but it is now quite different from…
Do New Staff Members Need HIPAA Training if they have Completed a Course Previously?
Most HIPAA Entities ensure exactly what they need to provide new members of staff in relation to HIPAA training when they join the organization. The…
Do I need HIPAA Certification?
Any health information manager working for a HIPAA entity will be seeking to ensure that they are doing everything possible to prevent a HIPAA breach…
What are the HIPAA Training Requirements?
Although Title II of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) stipulates HIPAA training is mandatory “for all members of the workforce”, the Privacy…
Are phone calls a HIPAA violation?
The rules regarding HIPAA compliance and patient telephone calls have been clarified with a Declaratory Ruling and Order issued by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)….
How Regularly Should HIPAA Training Take Place?
When it come to HIPAA training and how often it should be scheduled both the HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule have training provisions…
How can Hospital Workers Help Prevent HIPAA Violations?
Hospital must adhere with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notifications Rules and put in place security measure to stop HIPAA breaches. However, even with…
University of Cincinnati Medical Center Fined $65,000 for HIPAA Right of Access Failure
The HHS’ Civil Rights Office has publicly acknowledged its 18th HIPAA financial penalty of the year, with the 12th fine under its HIPAA Right of…
What is Meaningful Use in Relation to the HITECH Act
At the time that the HITECH ACT was passed, 2009, it was referred to as “the most important piece of healthcare legislation to be passed…
What are HIPAA Civil Penalties?
What are the civil penalties for knowingly breaching HIPAA laws? What is the highest possible financial penalty for a HIPAA violation and when are fines…
What are HIPAA Regulations for SMS?
The HIPAA regulations for SMS do not specifically rule out the implementation of a “Short Message Service” to share Protected Health Information (PHI), but they…
What Are HIPAA Compliance Officer Duties?
The Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act states that a person (or persons) within a Covered Entity or Business Associate must be given the duties…
What are the Penalties for Breaking HIPAA Rules?
HIPAA states that covered entities must conduct training for staff to ensure HIPAA Rules and regulations are fully comprehended. As part of this HIPAA training,…
What are Common HIPAA Business Associate Agreement Failures?
A HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA) is contract between a HIPAA-covered entity and a vendor that is providing a service to that covered entity. They…
What are the Most Commonly Witnessed HIPAA Breaches by Healthcare Workers?
Breaches of HIPAA often occur due to a lack of comprehension of HIPAA requirements, particularly in relation to healthcare workers breaching the data privacy legislation….
What is a HIPAA Release Form?
A completed HIPAA release form must be handed over by a patient before their protected health information can be disclosed to other individuals or groups,…
What is HIPAA Certification?
“HIPAA Certification” is not an officially-recognized qualification to indicate that a Covered Entity or Business Associate is HIPAA compliant. It is just a certificate indicating…
What are the 10 Most Common HIPAA Violations?
This article looks into the 10 of the most common HIPAA violations. It should be remember that, in a lot of instances, investigations have found…
When Was HIPAA Passed?
On August 21, 1996 then US President Bill Clinton added his signature to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and HIPAA was passed into…
What are Cyber Threat Information Sharing Best Practices?
The best practices for cyber threat information sharing has been published by the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC). This new information is…
Is Information Sharing Hindering by HIPAA Rules?
The HHS has put together a Request for Information (RFI) to identify how HIPAA Rules are hindering patient information sharing and creating boundaries for healthcare…
How Can I Use Technology in a HIPAA Compliant Manner?
The evolution of technology has made it easier and easier for professionals within the healthcare sector. However, in tandem with this growth so has grown…
What is PHI?
In the context of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), PHI is an acronym for Protected Health Information – defined by the Privacy…
In HIPAA, What is a Limited Data Set Under HIPAA?
A limited data set under HIPAA is a group of identifiable healthcare data that the HIPAA Privacy Rule permits covered groups to share with certain…
What is defined as a HIPAA-Covered Entity?
The term “HIPAA Covered Entity” was not actually included in the initial Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act when it was originally formulated in August…
How Does HIPAA Affect Employers?
Asking the question “Does HIPAA Apply to Employers” leads to a number of different answers as a result of the complicated nature of the HIPAA…
Why is the HITECH Act Important?
The HITECH Act – or Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act – makes up part of an economic stimulus package that was…
Is It Possible to Have HIPAA Compliant Gmail?
If you wish to use Gmail in a HIPAA fashion then you must ensure that the email platform is 100% secure and adheres to the…
How does HIPAA Impact Educational Institutions & Schools?
HIPAA carries a big impact for healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and business associates of those HIPAA-governed bodies entities but how does HIPAA impact…
HIPAA Compliant Cloud Storage
Within the healthcare sector there has been a massive shift in the last 10-15 years towards sharing Private health Information digitally to many different clients…
Important HIPAA Compliance Guidelines
If HIPAA rules are breached on purpose or by accident the financial implications can be massive. Even if a breach is discovered but you do…
Is Facebook Messenger HIPAA compliant?
Facebook may be considered a useful platform for connected people and corresponding. However, could it be used by healthcare organizations as the messaging service for…
What is Considered a HIPAA Breach?
A HIPAA breach refers to the capture, viewing, use or sharing of Private Health Information in a manner not adhering with the HIPAA ACT ,…
Is Google Forms HIPAA Compliant?
The question ‘is Google Forms HIPAA compliant and suitable for use by healthcare organizations?’ is extremely important as this is a very popular survey administration…
Are Emergency Notifications Systems for Business HIPAA-Compliant?
In most instances, emergency notification systems for business would not be implemented in order to share Protected Health Information (PHI); but if there was an…
Is Calendly HIPAA Compliant?
Calendly is a tool that is popularly used by many businesses for managing meeting and appointment schedules. Can Calendly be used by healthcare organizations? Does…
Is Evernote HIPAA Compliant?
Evernote is a cloud-based application that is handy for taking notes, planning projects, making to do lists, and working together in teams. Nevertheless, can healthcare…
Is Google Keep HIPAA Compliant?
Google Keep is a web-based note taking program that makes it possible to create notes and share them through several devices. The platform is famous,…
Is Return Path HIPAA Compliant?
Return Path is an email marketing and optimization system that allows organizations to have autopilot management of their email marketing campaigns and analytics. A lot…
What are the Recent Changes to HIPAA?
The latest amendments in HIPAA widen the extent of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical…
How Do You Report an Anonymous HIPAA Violation Complaint?
An employee who discovers an HIPAA violation committed by the company management or by a co-employee may want to report the incident to the Department…
Who May Be Exempted from GDPR Requirements?
The General Data Protection Regulation was enforced in the EU on May 25, 2018. Businesses gathering or processing the personal information of residents in the…
How Do You Report A HIPAA Violation at Work?
If you think that a HIPAA violation occurred in your workplace, would you report it? How and to whom? If by accident you have violated…
Is Zoom HIPAA Compliant?
About 750,000 businesses today use Zoom as it is a popular video and web conferencing program. Are healthcare organizations allowed to use Zoom for sharing…
Is Google Sheets HIPAA Compliant?
Google Sheets is a service for creating, viewing and sharing spreadsheets provided by Google. Is it all right for HIPAA-covered entities to use Google Sheets…
What is the Reason for the Slow Pace of Technology Adoption in Healthcare?
In relation to the use of new technology, the healthcare industry is quite slow compared to other industries. It is an undeniable fact that the…
What are Patient Rights Under HIPAA?
The Privacy Rule stipulates patient rights under HIPAA which Covered Entities must comply with if they are to meet the requirements of the Health Insurance…
Is Google Docs HIPAA Compliant?
Can Google Docs be considered as HIPAA compliant? Is uploading of files with protected health information (PHI) to Google Docs allowed? This post will evaluate…
Is Google Hangouts HIPAA Compliant?
Healthcare organizations often ask about the HIPAA compliance of Google services. One Google product that particularly caused some misunderstandings is Google Hangouts. Can healthcare professionals…
Is iCloud HIPAA-Compliant?
Cloud storage services are a convenient way for people to store and share data. Though people use diverse devices from varied places, they can gain…
Is WebEx HIPAA Compliant?
WebEx is an online video conferencing and collaboration platform that organizations use to facilitate communication among persons and partners from different places so that they…
Is Zoho HIPAA Compliant?
Zoho is a collection of cloud-based tools and applications developed by a Pleasanton, CA-based company since 1996. Zoho products and services include the following: Zoho…
Is HelloFax HIPAA Compliant?
Can healthcare companies use HelloFax for sending documents with protected health information (PHI)? Does this fax service support HIPAA compliance? Regular fax machines are not…
Is Google Forms HIPAA Compliant?
Google Forms is a web-based tool that anybody can utilize to make surveys and obtain the opinion of people. Is it all right for healthcare…
Is it a HIPAA Violation to Email PHI to Patients?
Email is a useful and simple way of communication. Is it okay for healthcare providers to use email to send electronic protected health information (ePHI)…
Do Companies Need a GDPR Data Retention Policy?
Organizations that are collecting or processing the personal information of people living in the European Union must revise their retention policy to make it GDPR…
Is Slack HIPAA Compliant?
Slack is a useful communication and collaboration tool. But the HIPAA compliance of Slack before using in the healthcare industry must be clarified. . Can…
What are the Requirements for Using Passwords Under the GDPR?
Beginning May 25, 2018, the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced. The GDPR oversees the security of private data of individuals…
What Guidance and Tools Can Help HIPAA Entities Conduct Its Risk Analysis
The HIPAA Risk analysis is an essential part of HIPAA compliance, however plenty of healthcare companies and business associates fail at it. Hence they are…
Why Did Data Breach Reports and Complaints Increase Post-GDPR?
The implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) allowed EU residents to enjoy new legal rights and freedoms. Citizens have more control over their…
What are the HIPAA Guidelines on Using Social Media?
ProPublica published a study in 2015 which presented HIPAA social media violations involving healthcare workers in 2015. If not dealt with, there will possibly be…
Are EU Citizens Protected by the GDPR If They Live in the US?
In general, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is applicable to European Union citizens residing in the European Union. Does the GDPR still apply if…
How to Comply With the HIPAA Password Requirements
In order to comply with the HIPAA password requirements, it is best to understand what they are so you can determine whether they apply to…
How Healthcare Providers Can Secure Electronic Media and Devices With ePHI
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights released its cybersecurity newsletter for August 2018 and told HIPAA-covered entities to be certain…
Is a HIPAA Release Form Required?
A patient-signed HIPAA release form should be secured before sharing the protected health information (PHI) with other people or providers, except in the event of…
Does the Use of Geofencing Technology Violate the HIPAA Rules?
Geofencing technology creates an electronic fence surrounding a specific location or area online. Going into that invisible boundary triggers the sending of push notifications to…
What Does HIPAA Consider as Protected Health Information?
Entities working in the healthcare industry need access to protected health information (PHI), which is why they need to know what the HIPAA law considers…
Is Intercom HIPAA Compliant?
Intercom is a messaging software-as-a-service solution that is popular among businesses that chat with their clients. There is a potential use for this software in…
What are the GDPR Rules for Recording Calls?
Many organizations record telephone calls to maintain quality, train employees and resolve client disputes. However with the observance of the GDPR guidelines starting May 25,…
Does SendGrid Comply With the HIPAA Law?
SendGrid is a service that businesses use for sending email messages. It is a very quick and easy way to communicate marketing messages to clients….
What are the Rights of Data Subjects Under the GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced in the European Union on May 25, 2018. Its goal is to make certain that data protection…
What is the GDPR Right to Object?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) allows data subjects to object to using their data in certain ways. But what specifically does it mean to…
Definition of Personal Data According to the GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law that is going to determine how the personal data of people in the European Union (EU)…
HIPAA Audit Checklist
An HIPAA audit checklist is a helpful resource for healthcare organizations and other HIPAA covered entities. It aims to determine existing risks to the integrity…
How Will GDPR Compliance Cost Money?
The General Data Protection Regulation is going to be enforced soon on May 25, 2018. One thing that institutions are realizing is the cost of…
What is the GDPR’s Impact On Your Organization?
The General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR is a legislation of the European Union (EU) which was approved on April 27, 2016. It is going…
How to Mitigate Insider Threats in Healthcare
The healthcare industry experiences many insider breaches every year which calls on covered entities and business associates to take steps to reduce the occurrence of…
What Happens to a Healthcare Employee When He Breaks the HIPAA Rules?
Healthcare employees need to be aware of the HIPAA rules and regulations and the possible penalties if they break these rules. This is why covered…
Is the Uber Health Ride Sharing Service HIPAA Compliant?
Uber Health, which beta launched this March, is a platform that is used for arranging cost effective transportation for patients. About 100 healthcare organizations need…