In-depth HIPAA compliance articles covering Business Associate Agreements, security risk assessments, workforce training requirements, and enforcement trends from the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
More expert guidance on Business Associate Agreements, workforce training documentation, and enforcement trends from the HHS Office for Civil Rights that affect covered entities and business associates. Each article is written for compliance officers, practice managers, and IT administrators who need clear answers without legal jargon.
9 min read
The adjuster wants the whole chart. The employer wants to know why the employee is out. 164.512(l) says what you may release, and minimum necessary says how much.
12 min read
The lab result is positive for a reportable disease. The new medical assistant asks if the patient must sign first. The front desk says HIPAA allows the report. The physician says the state requires it. Each has part of the answer.
11 min read
A signed release for the "complete record" arrives. Whether the therapist's session notes go with it depends on one question: where were they filed?
10 min read
The before-and-after went up the same afternoon. The patient texted "sure." In 2019, a dental practice paid $10,000 after sharing patient information on social media. Here is the form that makes a post legal.
9 min read
No, HIPAA does not say eight characters and change it every 90 days. It says something harder: write procedures for creating, changing, and safeguarding passwords, and be able to defend them.
10 min read
A mother at the front desk wants her 16-year-old's visit notes. HIPAA has an answer, and the answer points at your state.
9 min read
The machine by the front desk has a hard drive full of scanned charts, referrals, and insurance cards. The lease ends next month. Here is what has to happen before it rolls out the door.
9 min read
A patient asks who looked at her chart. Either the answer is in a log someone actually reviews, or the practice is about to learn what OCR means by audit controls.
10 min read
HIPAA has no small-practice exemption. It has a flexibility clause, and it has a list of jobs that all land on the same desk. Here is the whole assignment for a one-clinician practice.
Plain-language definitions of the terms that appear throughout the blog, each tied to the regulation it comes from.
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