Author: Cacciatore, Victoria; Downing, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2014

Criminal attacks on healthcare systems have risen 100 percent since 2010, according to a recent Ponemon study.1 This makes it obvious that the privacy and security of patient health information is vulnerable and highly susceptible to data breach. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule became e....

Author: Downing, Katherine

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2014

The purpose of AHIMA’s new Breach Management Toolkit is to provide a comprehensive collection of resources and best practices to help healthcare organizations and health information management (HIM) professionals navigate their way through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Breach Notification Rule and the overall breach management process. The toolkit is intended to raise awareness of the importance and responsibility of everyone within the organization to report HIPAA breaches to the appropriate designated personnel, as well as provide breach prevention education and training.

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2014

Many health information management (HIM) experts have wondered whether there is protected health information (PHI) on the black market. In short, the answer is “yes.” According to a 2012 Ponemon Institute study, 90 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed have had at least....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments

Publication Date: May 02, 2014

AHIMA comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)

Author: AHIMA Work Group

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2014

Covered entities should already have in place the mechanisms for limiting PHI under minimum necessary policies and procedures. This Practice Brief provides guidance to assist organizations in complying with the 2013 HITECH-HIPAA Omnibus Rule’s new disclosure restriction requirements.

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2014

Have a spare 32.8 million hours? The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sure hopes so.


As noted in the Federal Register, that figure is the total number of hours the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) estimated it would take all HIPAA-covered entities combined....

Author: Hicks, Andrew

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2014

Some healthcare business associates are still asking if HITECH-HIPAA impacts them. The answer is just as important to their affiliated healthcare providers.


Thousands of companies are now legally obligated to comply with the HITECH-HIPAA regulations because of their busines....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 2014

The HITECH-HIPAA Final Rule has changed the way healthcare organizations do business, and those with seats in the C-suite can’t afford to stay out of the weeds with the new regulations.


Daniel Solove, founder of the HIPAA training firm TeachPrivacy, and law professor at....

Author: National Opinion Research Center (NORC); U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: March 2014

Final report indicates the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Workforce Development Program exceeded projections to bolster the health IT workforce.

Author: Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2014

A warning issued in 2013 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has come to pass. “Meaningful use” Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program audits have begun. The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) reported that out of their 1,400 member organizations, almost 100 received audit notices in October 2013, totaling six percent of membership. In order to protect incentive payments earned through the meaningful use program, organizations need to be prepared for every audit contingency and know exactly what to expect. Organizations also need to avoid common mistakes that could lead to an audit and follow best practices for staying compliant to meaningful use standards.