Office of Civil Rights statistical study shows only two of 61 clinics have met minimum HIPAA compliance standards.
Indicates government audits will produce major revenue through the issuance of fines.
The new HIPAA threats (as of January 2014), meaningful use/attestation checks being ‘taken back’, revoked or not issued, “willful neglect” being enforced, the passing of Omnibus rules deadlines, increased regulatory enforcement and Medicare announcing funding to investigate chiropractors’ billing practices under criminal fraud statutes are all catching doctors off guard.
With the new vigorous enforcement of “willful neglect” (defined by HIPAA as; “that which the doctor knew or should have known, and did not do.”) most doctors are at risk for a minimum of a $50,000 -$250,000 nonnegotiable fine (the fines can go to $1.5 million in some instances). Recently these fines have been producing large revenues for the government.
Massive breaches of supposedly secured identity and patient health information-such as the one that occurred relative to Target stores at Christmas time and more recently Google and others, have the public in an outrage and the government scrambling to use every agency it has to protect private information! It is advised that physicians take all steps possible to become compliant.
About: For more information on this topic or other HIPAA compliance questions, please contact Dr. Ty Talcott, CHPSE, at HIPAA Compliance Services – a company dedicated to protecting healthcare professionals by producing simplified “how to” step-by-step training materials and procedures to assist doctors and clinic support personnel with establishing, maintaining and updating their HIPAA compliance program.