HIPAA Compliance Changes Require Business Associate Agreement (BAA) Updates

Changes by Health and Human Services (HHS) /Office of Civil Rights (OCR) under the new HIPAA Final Onmibus Rule implements a number of provisions for HITECH to strengthen privacy and security rules. This rule expands many of the requirements to business associates of covered entities. Some of the largest breaches reported to HHS have involved business associates. Penalties are increased for noncompliance based on the level of negligence with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per violation.

 

• Read the HHS Press Release http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130117b.html
• Read the Final Rule in the Federal Register http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-25/pdf/2013-01073.pdf

One of the changes requires you to update your BAA’s (see a sample)

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/contractprov.html

Another change requires health care providers to update their Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP). You can review the highlights in the HHS Press Release link above.

At Vitruvian Medpro Consulting we help medical practices stay out of 'Willful Neglect' by providing an affordable and comprehensive turnkey HIPAA Compliance solution.

HIPAA Compliance Basics Links

With the new HITECH Omnibus rules, HIPAA compliance officers might want to revise their practice's HIPAA Compliance plan.   It always helps to go back to basics and review all the aspects related what makes a medical practice HIPAA compliant.

 

Below are links on HIPAA related topics:

OCR Summary of Privacy Rule http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/privacysummary.pdf

Sample Business Associate Agreement http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/contractprov.html

Understanding Health Information Privacy http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/index.html

Covered Entity, Business Associate and Organizational Options  http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/training/coveredentities.pdf

PHI Uses, Disclosures and Minimum Necessary  http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/training/udmn.pdf

Breach Notification Requirements  http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/index.html

At Vitruvian Medpro Consulting we help medical practices stay out of 'Willful Neglect' by providing an affordable and comprehensive turnkey HIPAA Compliance solution.

New HIPAA Regulations

From our friends at AMBA:

In January, DHHS came out with new HIPAA final regs that are supposed to greatly enhance a patient’s privacy protections, provide individuals new rights to their health information, and strengthens the government’s ability to enforce the law.

 

See more information at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/01/20130117b.html

Download New Regs: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection

At Vitruvian MedPro, we offer an affordable, comprehensive, turnkey HIPAA compliance solution that helps medical practices stay out of "Willful Neglect".