As hospitals increasingly turn to wireless technologies to store and manage patient care information, health IT leaders harbor growing concerns about network scalability and security, according to a new HIMSS Analytics’ study titled “Healthcare Provider Network Solutions, Barriers and Challenges.”
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.
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.
Ultimately, mobile device management goals will ensure that every device on the network gets scanned and inventoried. That was goal outlined in a presentation, “Beyond the Device—Comprehensive Mobility Strategy,” given by CDW chief marketing officer Neal Campbell at HIMSS last Tuesday, March 5.
Findings from a recent study published in the journal Science have brought up concerns regarding the privacy of genome databases. Relying entirely on free, publicly accessible resources over the Internet, researchers were able to recover individuals’ surnames and additional possibly identifying information, the study shows.
Healthcare organizations should look to laptops, mobile devices, and their business associate agreements, among other things, to avoid the risk of a breach of healthcare data, according to a recent report by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST), “A Look Back: US Healthcare Data Breach Trends.”
The report found that the industry has improved slightly since breach reporting became mandatory in September 2009, but there are still unsettling spikes in the number of breaches. “While it is good news that reportable breaches do not appear to be becoming any more pervasive, the bad news is that the industry’s progress appears to be slow,” the report says…
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…
