Hoping to improve consumers’ knowledge of their healthcare privacy and security rights, the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has developed an array of new patient-facing educational tools about HIPAA.

In December 2012 two radio personalities called a UK hospital that was treating Kate Middleton as part of an on-air prank, and obtained private medical information as a result. Those who are not authorized, from family members and nosy neighbors to an insurance company, an employer, a workers’ compensation investigator, or another medical provider frequently request patient information. Healthcare organizations must be prepared for such information requests and take the necessary steps to effectively train employees in the proper procedures.

HIPAA has ushered in a new era in healthcare that has transformed the way US healthcare professionals manage information and use it to deliver care. While we often say we still have a long way to go before achieving compliance with HIPAA, several significant changes are already underway today.

AHIMA’s President reflects on the development of HIPAA’S privacy regulations and the possible effects of the HITECH amendments.

Patients retain the right to keep their medical records private even after death. The laws surrounding just who has a legal right to view those records can lead to confusing and frustrating situations.

But new rules implemented through the HITECH Act’s HIPAA moficiation final rule have changed the rights of deceased patients and their loved ones to health information.

Below are frequently asked questions, recently updated to reflect the HITECH Act’s changes, on accessing a deceased patient’s medical records.

The new HITECH-HIPAA privacy rule modifications change just when a breach notification must be sent out. If any of 19 health identifiers mentioned in the final rule are included in a privacy or security breach, then a breach notification must be reported.

Information is the future of healthcare, and the industry is developing an almost unquenchable thirst for it. The good news is that healthcare organizations are amassing data at an unprecedented pace. In order to make the next leap in the healthcare transformation journey, we require liquid data that can flow to where it is needed in a form that can be easily accessed, is semantically interoperable, and can be acted upon immediately.

In an effort to direct HIM professionals to the sections of the HITECH-HIPAA omnibus privacy and security final rule that specifically impacts the HIM industry, and provide guidance on how to respond, AHIMA staff experts have posted a full analysis of the lengthy rule on AHIMA’s website.

The final rule includes significant additions and modifications to HIPAA requirements, called for in the 2009 ARRA-HITECH Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008…