Hipaa Compliance - Non - compliance Isn ' t Worth The Consequences

Hipaa Compliance - Non - compliance Isn ' t Worth The Consequences

It just got tougher be in HIPAA Compliance. Essentially, it all started when the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was signed into law in 2009 - however HITECH Act did not take effect until 2010. HITECH was meant to push the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. It was only fitting that the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services introduce law that would clinch the privacy of individual health information, considering many facilities have made paper records a thing of the past. For those not dealing with the electronic transmission of health information properly, HITECH Act paves the road for serious consequences; HITECH provides the provision that strengthens the civil and criminal potential of the HIPAA rules.
Monetary fines below the HITECH Act can run anywhere from $100 per single offense to $1, 500, 000 as the maximum for a calendar year worth of violations. Cash fines are based on tiers. Each echelon escalates in proportion to the violations by the lawbreaker; the justness is assessed depending on the storminess of the assailment, along with the resulting harm. If you are one of the entities ( i. e. health care physicians, health care services, businesses with health care plans, etc. ) mandated to be in compliance with HIPAA you could be liable for budgetary penalties enforced by HHS along with criminal penalties, enforced by the United States Department of Equity.
In addition to the option of capital fines and imprisonment, you might consider how important your companies reputation is - that in itself should be urge enough to stay HIPAA compliant. Improperly disposing of health records can land you on the front page of the news, which is the last thing a company or practice needs. However, it ' s those high fines that are really original to make those of us mandated to be HIPAA compliant sweat. The high fines levied on HIPAA violators reply the importance of safeguarding safe health information. Faced with the near defiance of grand fines from mistake to meet HIPAA data cleft requirements, the health service industry is seeking ways to make clear-cut they are HIPAA compliant.
A facility can nail down compliance in a number of ways. These methods radius anywhere from hiring an champion to guide you through compliance, noticing seminars, having a consultant visiting your facility, or purchasing software or other related compliance tools to guide you through the process. It would be a massive task to sift through the HIPAA laws and administrative compliance procedures for any one person. I certainly advise soliciting some sort of help. The target is to makes clear-cut all staff is trained in the equivalent fashion, on a facility specific HIPAA compliance program. While the whole process may seem ponderous, taking the time and making the investment to protect HIPAA compliance is alertness to pay off if the Department of Health and Human Services, or the Department of Litigation ever decide to pay a visit.