HIPAA News

This week’s HIPAA cartoon

melanierivera — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:02:34 +0000

In reality there’s nothing funny about HIPAA compliance but sometimes you have to laugh..

Rite Aid to Pay $1 Million to Atone for Their HIPAA Sins

melanierivera — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:34:06 +0000

If you are one of the thousands of HIPAA professionals who struggle every day to make their colleagues understand why all the finicky (and let’s face it sometimes downright annoying) HIPAA rules have to be followed to the letter here is yet another cautionary tale you can now use to back your arguments up.

On Tuesday July 27^th, 2010 it was announced that drugstore giant Rite Aid had agreed to a $1 million settlement to atone for their HIPAA transgressions. The settlements apply to all of Rite Aid’s nearly 4,800 retail pharmacies and follow an extensive joint investigation by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the FTC.

The problems began for Rite Aid and its 40 affiliated entities – collectively known as RAC – when the television news media began producing video footage of various RAC employees in several cities across the country disposing of prescription bottles containing individuals’ identifiable information in industrial dumpsters that were accessible by the public – a huge HIPAA violation that one would have assumed a giant corporation would have known better than to ever risk.

In addition to the fines Rite Aid has had to forge agreements with both the OCR (Office for Civil Rights) and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) who conducted the joint investigation as to the steps they have to take to ensure that such violations never occur again.

You can read the full press statement announcing the settlement here

This Week’s Top 10 HIPAA Jobs

melanierivera — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:35:14 +0000

Once again we have been busy scouring the internet job boards to locate some of the best opportunities for HIPAA professionals across the nation. Here then we present the Top Ten for this week.

HIPAA / EDI Healthcare QA Tester

Company: TEKsystems

Location: Chicago, IL

Salary: $42.00 – $0.00 /hour

Position Type: Full Time, Temporary/Contract/Project

Job Category: Quality Assurance/Safety

This position is responsible for evaluating requirements for testing new or modified products and documentation prior to production release; designing, developing, creating, and executing test plans and cases based on software requirements and technical understanding of product architecture; executing various system, performance, integration, and ad-hoc tests according to approved test plans and testing schedule; troubleshooting, in conjunction with end users and development teams, on issues of reproducing, investigating and debugging software; generating defect reports for issues found during testing, and providing accurate testing status to project stakeholders; focusing on project quality issues, but also makes contributions beyond immediate assignments; possessing broad overall knowledge of business applications; working independently; managing multiple testing projects concurrently.

Connecticut AG and Healthnet Cut a Deal over HIPAA Security Breach

melanierivera — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:20:56 +0000

Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal made a little bit of history back in January of this year when he became the first AG in the country to bring a HIPAA enforcement action, which he did against insurance giant Health Net. Now he has just made a little more by announcing he has brokered the first state settlement of such an action.

The suit came about as a result of Health Net’s loss of a hard drive containing over 500,000 individuals’ records including clinical data, social security numbers, addresses, and other financial information. According to Blumenthal, Healthnet then compounded the gaffe (which they chalked up to theft) by failing to inform those affected about what had occurred for over six months after the incident occurred.

Under the terms of the settlement Healthnet will be ordered to pay $250,000 directly to the state of Connecticut representing statutory damages (and to serve as a warning to other health insurance companies as well no doubt) They will also have to put aside a further $500,000 to cover damages should it eventually be found that the missing hard drive was accessed and that members personal information was ever used in an illegal manner. Guessing that there are still a lot of crossed fingers at Healthnet on that issue..

You can view the full settlement details here

The HIPAA Song

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:09:18 +0000

Funny HIPAA song on YouTube:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRDorQ73Ng

Happy HIPAA Holidays – funny poem

naomi — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:26:47 +0000

Merry Christmas! Here is a holiday poem featuring HIPAA that I recently ran across and wanted to share. It was originally posted here.

HIPAA Christmas poem – Santa in the ER:

A Visit to the ER from St. Nick

Twas the night before surgery, and all ‘cross the floor

The patients were buzzing ’bout the guy in Room Four.

His chart was hung on his door with great care

To make sure his name was not shown anywhere.

The patients were nestled all snug in their beds

While telemetry monitors beeped overhead.

And I in my gown, with its crack in the back,

Had just settled down for my clear liquid snack.

When down the hall there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

I pulled off my leads and flew out the door,

With my IV pole dragging behind on the floor.

Away to Room Four I hurriedly dashed

Unaware of my gown and the nurses I flashed.

As I slid to a halt and leaned to peek in

I heard the nurse say, “Sir, you mustn’t go in!”

And what did I see when I looked in Bed A

But ole Mr. Claus; on his belly he lay.

Covered in gauze and stuck high in the air

Oh what a sight, ’twas St. Nick’s derriere!

He was yelling at Doris, the nurse at his side

To be tied to this bed, he just could not abide.

He moaned and he bellowed about his ill luck

But there was just nothing for it; the old man was stuck.

“What happened to Santa?” to Doris I said,

“Why’s he on his belly in this hospital bed?”

With a grin she whispered, “He did something stupid.

He injured his butt when he backed into Cupid.”

But the old man’s ears were sharp as tack.

He heard what she said there behind his back.

“You had no right to speak, and that is a fact!

Don’t you know about HIPAA, the privacy act?”

“You’re out of compliance, Doris, my dear.

You had no right to tell him ’bout my injured rear!

I’ll sue you for breach, and this hospital, too!

You won’t have a job when I’m through with you!”

“When I check my list and then check it twice,

You’ll be in the column labeled ‘Not Nice.’

The HIPAA patrol will likewise drop by

To find out why you, Doris, did not comply!”

“They’ll want to know why you opened your yap,

A big, hefty fine on your butt they will slap.

And from me every Christmas you will now see

Nothing but switches and coal ‘neath your tree.”

Merry Christmas and HIPAA New Year!

TOP 10 HOT HIPAA JOBS

naomi — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:54:54 +0000

Once again we’ve brought you the best of the best. From Monster.com, SimplyHired.com, MedicalWorkers.com and Dice.com, here are the top 10 HIPAA jobs as of October 29, 2009 nationwide.

1. Chief Privacy Administrator

2. HIPAA Specialist

3. HIPAA Business Analyst

4. Corporate HIPAA Compliance Manager

5. EDI Lead Developer

6. HIPAA Privacy Manager

7. Manager, Patient Relations

8. Lead Correspondence Clerk

9. HIPAA Auditor

10. Privacy Specialist

Here are the brief summaries and details of the jobs we’ve found for you:

Job Title: Chief Privacy Administrator

Company: Catholic Healthcare West (CHW)

Location: San Francisco, CA

Job description: The Chief Privacy Administrator is appointed by the CHW Board to direct the organization’s activities related to development, implementation, maintenance of, and adherence to policies and procedures covering the privacy of, access to, and protection of patient, provider, employee, and business information in compliance with CHW policies and procedures, and as required by the HIPAA privacy rule, the FTC Red Flag Rule, and other applicable regulations and laws.

The Chief Privacy Administrator collaborates with CHW legal counsel to monitor or interpret the requirements of HIPAA and other applicable federal and state privacy laws and regulations. The Chief Privacy Administrator receives complaints and requests for further information regarding CHW privacy policies and notices; in collaboration with CHW legal counsel, oversees investigations and required state and federal reporting and notification involving breaches of confidentiality; coordinates all activities with privacy implications; and monitors systems and services to assure meaningful privacy practices. The Chief Privacy Administrator also monitors and coordinates all requests for information from federal and state regulators investigating privacy.