![\"Initiate-HIPAA-Complaince\"](\"https:\/\/www.m2sys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/national-cancer-institute-NFvdKIhxYlU-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 Security Rule defines standards to protect the electronic personal health information (PHI) of individuals. All identifiable health information such as lab results, medical bills, health records and histories, and so forth, are examples of PHI if a covered entity is in the picture.<\/span><\/p>\n The covered entity may be a healthcare provider, a healthcare clearinghouse, or a health plan. Any of these may create, receive, maintain, or use such health information.<\/span><\/p>\n While the rule has been law since 1996, companies need to develop a more robust <\/span>IT and compliance<\/span><\/a> strategy. There’s been an initiative since 2017 to investigate HIPAA breaches, which affect 500 people or less, more thoroughly.<\/span><\/p>\n Small breaches are common at organizations of all sizes, a point that many still fail to realize. But, should your business be HIPAA compliant?<\/span><\/p>\n When companies handle PHI or collaborate with those in healthcare, they need <\/span>HIPAA compliance<\/span><\/a>. A business should also show that they have adequate protections for PHI, enabling it to handle client data safely and securely.<\/span><\/p>\n However, HIPAA requirements mostly refer to covered entities. Covered entities include all sorts of healthcare organizations and individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n Healthcare providers include doctors, pharmacies, psychologists, nursing homes, and other providers. But, these groups become covered if they transmit information electronically for a transaction for which the HHS has a set standard.<\/span><\/p>\n This second group covers company health plans, health insurance firms, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and government programs that foot the healthcare bill, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and military\/veteran initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n This unique group comprises organizations that process non-standard health information from other entities into a standard form such as data content or standard electronic format. They also carry out reverse operations.<\/span><\/p>\n The law also permits covered entities to share PHI with <\/span>business associates<\/span><\/a> if there\u2019s a guiding contract defining how each business associate would handle the data. The contract would also demand the protection of the privacy and security of the specific PHI.<\/span><\/p>\n Those businesses will also be responsible for compliance with specific HIPAA provisions.<\/span><\/p>\n The Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for auditing organizations to ensure they comply with HIPAA. The collection of covered entities’ contact details was the focus of the second phase of the OCR audit program\u2019s second phase.<\/span><\/p>\n The OCR collected questionnaires about the operations, size, and type of each covered entity. Maybe the OCR <\/span>academized<\/span><\/a> it, but the information helped create pools of potential organizations to audit, and each auditee was a random selection by the OCR.<\/span><\/p>\nDoes Your Business Need to Be HIPAA Compliant?<\/span><\/h2>\n
#1 Healthcare Providers<\/span><\/h3>\n
#2 Health Plans<\/span><\/h3>\n
#3 Healthcare Clearinghouses<\/span><\/h3>\n
HIPAA Auditing and Enforcement<\/span><\/h3>\n