HIPAA Security

HIPAA Security compliance used to be purposely ignored by most practices when regulations were first created in 2003. There was no branch to adequately penalize practices for breaching regulation. This all changed a couple of years ago with the HITECH ACT. This legislation empowered HHS to penalize not only for HIPAA privacy, but to extend punishment to HIPAA security as well. Furthermore, it called for increasing the departments size through revenues generated via fines for violations.

In the past couple of years, thousands of practices have been audited by HHS due to violations in their HIPAA Security. In the cases where fines are levied, they are almost always above $50,000. What many practices have begun to do in preparation is bring themselves into HIPAA Security compliance as much as possible in an attempt to avoid audits. Most practices are also concerned with upkeeping security now that the public is more informed.

How are these audits triggered? Complaints. All practices receive complaints, big and small. Many are warranted, some are ignored by HHS. Once a practice receives enough complaints or violates HIPAA in a large enough fashion, HHS will begin to investigate the practice to see if they are in compliance. This is where Magellan21 can bring value to your practice. We will assist you in creating HIPAA Security policies and enforcing them within the bounds of what has been laid out in regulations. By auditing your company and following the rules and regulations that the government has set down upon medical practices, you will avoid an audit. HHS will see that you have put forth both time and effort into HIPAA Security and will affix their gaze upon the weaker pray, offices who aren't prepared.

If you'd like more information please check out the blog or get more specifics on the SMB HIPAA package by clicking here.