Everyone in health care remembers when the HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance deadline came along, in April of 2003. There were new policies and procedures, lots of training, and lots of paper forms and notices generated. After a while, things became routine and compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule became more assumed than assured.
• Do you and your staff know what the process is for a patient to ask for a modification to their medical record? It may happen rarely in your facility, but you need to be ready and know what policy controls amendments.
• Are you prepared to provide a complete accounting of disclosures to the individual who requests one? When did you last review your disclosure logging process and ensure you are recording the necessary information?
• Have you implemented reasonable and appropriate information security safeguards and processes?
These are only a few of the many questions you need to ask to determine if you are in compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Enforcement of HIPAA has now begun, so now is the time to review your compliance.
Has your organization reviewed its policies and procedures, assessed its compliance with the regulations, and provided renewed training to ensure compliance by your workforce?
Lewis Creek Systems HIPAA Privacy Review Services can provide experienced assistance in helping you meet all the requirements of the Privacy Rule.
What Does a HIPAA Privacy Review Involve?
A HIPAA Privacy Review includes three tasks: evaluation, inspection, and improvement.
Task One: Evaluate the existing health information privacy policies and procedures to see if they 1) match the operations of the organization and 2) meet HIPAA requirements.
Task Two: Interview workforce members and tour/inspect the facilities to find out the level of understanding and appreciation of the HIPAA Privacy requirements and the organization’s supporting policies.
Task Three: Create and implement an improvement plan for HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance that consists of policy development and training to correct the deficiencies identified in tasks one and two.
And, of course, each of these tasks must be fully documented in order to show compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
Lewis Creek Systems has experience in providing HIPAA Privacy Reviews, including all the required tasks, for a wide variety of health care organizations, since 2002.
How Can Lewis Creek Systems Help?
We’re always happy to speak with you to answer your questions. We can suggest how to deal with a specific HIPAA issue or how to plan your compliance activities overall.
Lewis Creek Systems has the experience to assist you in all of the critical tasks involved with a HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance review. We can provide a complete review or perform individual tasks, as desired. Our work can be tailored to meet your needs and your budget. Contact us today for more information or a free preliminary quotation for services.
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