HIPPA Omnibus Update

As HIPAA continues to evolve, so do the risks and tactics of enforcement. At CPSstatements.com we continue our education and continue to operate within the HIPAA guidelines. While doing so we feel it is necessary to share any information we gain. New Risks- The government is proactively auditing companies large and small. Now more than ever the federal government is pushing each state to enforce infractions and random audits. It is not required that a breach occur to be subject to an audit. Individuals can be sued, as well as, the business if willful neglect is detected. Auditors are looking to verify that written policies are being implemented in everyday practice. Higher Penalties-On average, for every $1.00 spent by the government they are making back $20.00 in fines. This means that finding violations is now profitable! Failure to report a breach has increased to a $150,000 fine. Violation penalties have increased up to $50,000 per violation and up to 1.5 million for repeat violations. Reduce The Risk By: Training staff on your written policies and procedures relating to PHI, Do not transfer PHI without encryption or password protection, Sign BAAs ( Business Associate Agreement) with all sub-contractors, and Conduct risk assessments. Factors that may prompt an audit: Disgruntled Staff, A Disgruntled Customer, A Previous or Current Breach, and A Natural Disaster. If you need to provide examples for changes or examples for corrections, do not send any PHI through email to CPSstatements.com. Please contact a CPS team member, and upload the PHI to our secure/ encrypted website also be sure to label the file EXAMPLE. For 2015 SSAE16 TYPE II Audit results or for questions relating to this informational update, contact our full time Compliance Officer Kim Trenner at 330-454-7411 ext. 309 or ktrenner@cpsstatements.com.