The First Steps to Becoming HIPAA Compliant

When we schedule an appointment to go over HIPAA compliance with a new client, we are always asked, “Where do I even start?” by the owner or practice manager. Becoming HIPAA compliant is a complex proposition that takes time, knowledge, and persistence. There are many steps involved, but the first steps are always the same: […]

Business Associate Agreements Between Covered Entities

During our mock HIPAA audit process, we always verify Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) for our clients who are either Covered Entities (CEs) or Business Associates (BAs). In the process of deciding which BAAs are required, we are often asked about what agreement needs to be in place between two CEs who are working together. For instance, […]

How to Prepare For HIPAA Breaches

There are many steps you can take to prepare your organization for a HIPAA breach. If you are proactive, you can mitigate the severity of a breach considerably. And if you have the right policies in place, you can save your practice from large fines and other financial costs. Lets go over the things your […]

OCR Announces Fines for Breaches Affecting Fewer Than 500 Patients

As a HIPAA compliance IT consultant I work with many small dental and medical practices that are affected by HIPAA regulations. For many years, dental practitioners and boutique medical service providers have been able to fly under the radar of the OCR (Office of Civil Rights) and not worry about audits or fines resulting from […]

The Importance of Encryption for HIPAA Compliance

Encryption. . .what does it mean to encrypt something? Why is it important? And why is it particularly important for covered entities and business associates in the health services industry? What can you do to make sure your data is encrypted while it is being transferred from one place to another and while it is […]

HIPAA Audits Are Coming To Dental Practices

Starting in February of 2016, the Office of Civil Rights (a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services) began phase 2 of the HIPAA audit program. What does this mean for dental practitioners and other health service providers? What does a health service provider need to do to be prepared for an audit? […]