Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Less than a Fifth of HIPAA Privacy Complaints Result in Changed Healthcare Practices

Melamedia's 5th Annual Year-End Review of Medical Privacy & Data Security Enforcement explores changes to expect in rules on patient and employee health data in Obama Administration Audio SeminarThursday, December 11, 20081 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern

(PRWEB) November 18, 2008 -- About 18.5% of medical privacy complaints lodged with the Department of Health & Human Services resulted in changes in behavior by healthcare organizations since the department started its HIPAA enforcement program in April 2003, according to an analysis by the independent newsletter, Health Information Privacy/Security Alert, published by Melamedia, LLC.

Out of the 40,248 complaints received by the department, 7,429 uncovered a violation of the HIPAA privacy rule requiring a healthcare organization to make changes to its policies and practices. The analysis examined enforcement figures through Oct. 31, 2008.

At the same time, only about a quarter of all the privacy complaints submitted to HHS fall under its jurisdiction.

Privacy advocates and many healthcare professionals have criticized the HHS Office for Civil Rights, the lead agency enforcing the HIPAA privacy regulation, for failing to take more aggressive action. That criticism also has been aimed at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is responsible for enforcing the HIPAA security regulation.

HHS's enforcement of the HIPAA privacy and security rules is certain to attract some attention. How the Obama Administration will interpret the enforcement statistics is an open question.

In any change in White House administration, healthcare executives and employers naturally wonder what changes to expect in the rules governing the use and protection of personal health information However, President-Elect Obama ran a campaign based on the theme of change, and that commitment has substantially increased attention to what new regulatory initiatives lie ahead.

Speculation has been rampant during the Obama transition, but some conclusions already can be drawn based on what is already in place and even on  areas of agreement between the Bush Administration and the incoming Obama Administration.
 
To help healthcare organizations and employers understand the new regulatory and enforcement environment, Health Information Privacy/Security Alert is sponsoring a 90-minute audio seminar:
 
The 5th Annual Review of Medical Privacy and Data Security Enforcement
 
PARTICIPANTS WILL BE BRIEFED ON:

** The outlook for enforcement of the health data privacy and data security rules;
** Where regulatory and enforcement changes are likely to be made quickly in the health
    information privacy and security arenas;
** Which health data issues are going to result in congressional battles regardless of the
Democratic majorities in Congress;
** Where to look for early signs of changes in federal enforcement approaches;
** What issues are likely to take on more importance in the short and medium terms;
** Key court cases in the last five years that set the stage for the incoming Obama administration;
** The latest analysis of OCR and CMS enforcement activities; and
             and much more.

WHO SHOULD LISTEN

** Privacy and Security Officers
** Hospital Compliance Executives
** HIM Professionals
** Healthcare Payers
** Fraud & Abuse Professionals
** Human Resources Executives
** Third Party Administrators
** HIPAA Business Associates
** Benefits Managers
** EHR & EMR Professionals
** Consumer Affairs Professionals
** Personal Data Collection Companies
** Researchers
** State and Federal Government Policymakers
** Biomedical Product Manufacturers
** Healthcare Attorneys
** Healthcare Consultants

THE FACULTY

Dennis Melamed, editor and publisher of Health Information Privacy/Security Alert, has 30 years of experience writing about business and regulatory affairs in Washington, DC. Dennis is an adjunct professor at the Drexel College of Medicine and the chief editor and lead author of the three-volume HIPAA Handbook reference set. He is a frequent lecturer and columnist on health information confidentiality and security issues.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

All seminar participants will receive a certificate of participation
1.5 IAPP Credits - Pending

WHAT IS AN AUDIO SEMINAR?

An audio seminar is a live event with a Q&A period and access for an unlimited number of participants for each call-in line. Each site is provided with all presentation and background materials and a toll-free number to participate.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

To register, visit
www.melamedia.com

CAN'T MAKE THE DATE?

The CD recording with all course materials are excellent educational and briefing resources. The recording and materials are available shortly after the event.

TRACK HIPAA ENFORCEMENT TRENDS FOR FREE

Health Information Privacy/Security Alert offers free updates on HHS's efforts to enforce the HIPAA privacy and security regulations. The montlhly statistics include privacy complaints lodged with the Office for Civil Rights and security and transaction complaints lodged with CMS Office for Electronic Health Standards and Services. The service also tracks criminal referrals made to the Department of Justice.

To subscribe to this free monthly update service, visit
www.melamedia.com

See Also:

[Via Legal / Law]

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