Back on December 10, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with proposed changes to the Privacy Rule. The proposed modifications support individuals’ engagement in their...
Challenges of Finding and Retaining Talent for Private Practices
As we have seen since April 2021, we are still being influenced by the Great Resignation or the Big Quit. COVID-19 was a wake-up call for many people in general, but even more so for employees who were not satisfied with their current roles in the workplace. Employees...
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Let’s face it, running a healthcare business without some type of third-party assistance is difficult. Lawyers, accountants, IT providers, billing services all help to make the day-to-day operations of medical practices possible. But those services and others pose a...
Releasing Patient Health Information: Release Management Practices
The exchange or release of health information is essential to the provision of high quality and cost-effective health care. The information released should be within the scope of the request, complete based on the nature of the request and submitted timely. This...
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) Will Fade Away
On the day that President Biden was sworn into office, the public health emergency (PHE) was set to expire, but the Department of Health & Human Services extended the emergency declaration for another 90 days, to April 20, 2021. This represents the fourth time...
First Proposed HIPAA Privacy Rules Changes in 8 Years
In a response to the healthcare community’s desire to lessen the administrative burden on HIPAA covered entities, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a request of information (RFI) in December of 2018. Two years later, after this RFI comment period closed, the OCR...
Lessons Learned from the First Wave of COVID: How to Navigate the Second Wave and Implement Lasting Changes to Benefit your Practice
When the COVID-19 pandemic reached our shores, it instantly changed the way we lived and worked. Many businesses were shuttered, and most people have yet to return to their offices since the March 2020 lockdowns. Virtual meetings, remote learning and limited socially...
FAQs on Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19
FAQs from Department of Health and Human Services
COVID-19 HIPAA Bulletin
Limited Waiver of HIPAA Sanctions and Penalties During a Nationwide Public Health Emergency
COVID-19 HIPAA Bulletin
Disclosures to law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders and public health authorities Does