Online HIPAA Compliance Resource Helps Hospitals, Health Plans and Other Providers Comply with New Privacy and Security Rules

Washington, DC March 23, 2009 – AIS’s Report on Patient Privacy – There is a new HIPAA sheriff in town. The Obama Administration pledged stronger privacy enforcement and, “put its money where its mouth is,” by funding stronger enforcement, setting far stiffer penalties for noncompliance, and tightening a number of HIPAA compliance provisions. To help hospitals, health plans and other covered entities comply with both the new and existing rules, AIS in conjunction with leading compliance experts in the industry, has developed an online HIPAA Compliance Center. For additional information on this resource, visit http://www.aishipaa.com.

New privacy and security provisions signed by President Obama include:

• New requirements related to “covered entities” and “business associates,”
• A strong new federal security breach notification law,
• New guidance for satisfying the “minimum necessary” standard,
• Tighter rules on when PHI can be used for marketing purposes,
• New rules for fundraising communications,
• New measures for accounting for PHI disclosures in EHRs,  
• Stiffer penalties for noncompliance ... and heightened federal enforcement.

AIS's HIPAA Compliance Center is a two-part annual subscription service that provides:

1) Access to the industry's most exhaustive HIPAA privacy and security Web portal at http://www.aishipaa.com, which features:

• 30 detailed narrative sections written by experts on every HIPAA compliance topic from A to Z.
• Sample forms, policies, procedures, decision trees and other practical tools that users can adapt to their privacy and security compliance programs ... and are updated to reflect 2009's new privacy and security rules.
• Links to all of the government documents required for compliance with privacy and security regulations, and other related federal requirements.

2) Report on Patient Privacy, with timely news and analysis on the new legislation and all of the new regulations coming down the pike ... and in-depth stories on what all of this means for hospitals, health plans, providers and other covered entities. Each monthly issue will be mailed to subscribers and posted — along with two years of back issues and searchable indexes — on the subscriber-only Web site. Stories featured in the March issue include:

• New Federal Breach Notification Provision Exceeds All States' Disclosure Mandates
• Business Associates Will Soon Be Subject to Same Rules, Fines as CEs Under New Law
• 'Accounting for Disclosures' Burden Grows With ARRA Changes
• CVS Pays $2.25 Million in Privacy Settlement, Enhances Waste Disposal Policies
• New HIPAA Amendments Restrict Certain Rx Marketing Practices
• Stimulus Law Will Not Help HIPAA's Negative Impact on Research

To preview the narrative content in AIS’s HIPAA Compliance Center, featuring contributions from several industry leaders, including Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal's Reece Hirsch and data security expert, Chris Apgar, visit http://www.aishipaa.com.

About Atlantic Information Services (AIS)
AIS develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations.

Contact:
Eve Collins
Editor, Report on Patient Privacy
Atlantic Information Services
1100 17th Street, NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
202-775-9008 ext. 3062
ecollins@aishealth.com
www.AISHIPAA.com