Description:-

We will examine the updated 2018 HIPAA Audit Protocol as well as other questionnaires that have been used in the past and may be used to help prepare an organization for a future review.  We will present methods for using the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol to build your own compliance plan by extracting the contents and relating your compliance activities and documentation directly to the questions that might be asked, thereby creating a compliance management tool to ensure continued compliance improvement.

We will review the contents of the 2018 HIPAA Audit Protocol to show what documentation needs to be on hand should your organization be selected for an audit or enforcement action.  We will explain the enforcement regulations and the recent changes that increase fines and create new penalty levels, including new penalties for willful neglect of compliance that begin at $10,000.  Documentation requirements for compliance will be explored and a framework of security policies necessary for compliance will be presented

The results of prior HHS audits (and their penalties) will be discussed, including recent actions involving multi-million dollar fines and settlements.  A plan for attaining compliance will be presented.  The steps to follow to prepare for an audit and respond to an audit request will be outlined.  In addition, upcoming trends in information security risks will be discussed so you can start to plan for the work you'll need to do to stay in compliance and keep patient information private and secure.

Areas Covered in the Session:-

The HIPAA Random Audit program is being refocused and redefined to make it more relevant to finding and correcting some of the most prevalent security and privacy compliance issues, based on the experience gained in the 2012 and 2016 audits and in the HIPAA Breach Notification process.

• Fines and penalties for violations of the HIPAA regulations have been significantly increased and now include mandatory fines for willful neglect of the rules that begin at $10,000 minimum and can reach $50,000 per day.
• Find out what HHS OCR is likely to ask you if you are selected for an audit or enforcement review, and what you'll have to have prepared already when they do.
• The HIPAA Audit Protocol will be examined along with the sets of questions asked at other HIPAA audits previously.
• Find out what the rules are that you need to comply with and what policies you can adopt that can help you come into compliance.
• Learn how having a good compliance process can help you stay compliant more easily.
• Find out what you'll need to have documented to survive an audit or enforcement review and avoid fines.
• Learn how to use the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol as the foundation of your compliance activities and documentation.

Why Should You Attend:-

In this session we will discuss the HIPAA audit program and how it works, and discuss the areas that caused the most issues in the 2012 audits and the areas that were targeted in the 2016 audits.  We will explore what kind of issues were most prevalent and what kind of entities had the most problems, and show where entities need to improve their compliance the most.  We will also explore the typical risk issues that lead to breaches of health information and see how those issues may be targets for auditors and enforcement action in the future.

Knowing what questions are likely to be asked and have been asked at prior HIPAA compliance audits can make preparing for and surviving a HIPAA audit or enforcement review much easier.  USDHHS has published an updated, July 2018 protocol for the HIPAA audits, so it is possible to know how to prepare for an audit or enforcement review.  Nearly any health care covered entity may be subject to an audit or enforcement investigation; all entities need to know what kinds of questions they’ll be asked, what information they'll need to provide and how to prevent issues that could lead to violations and fines.  

Background:-

The random HIPAA Compliance Audit program had a year of trial audits in 2012.  The US Department of Health and Human Services reviewed the results of that work and performed a second round of audits, this time including HIPAA Business Associates, beginning in 2016 and concluding in 2017.  The law calls for a permanent Audit program, but HHS has indicated that the HIPAA audit program will be on hold for at least the time being, and that the next product will be a report on best practices learned in the audits conducted so far.  But that doesn’t mean there will be no enforcement of the HIPAA rules.  In fact, preparing for a HIPAA Audit is one of the best ways to be ready to respond to any enforcement action, and going through an internal HIPAA Audit will help you find issues before they become problems that can lead to penalties.

Who will Benefit:-

Compliance Manager, HIPAA Privacy Officer, HIPAA Security Officer, CEO, Office Manager, HR Director, Privacy Officer, CIO, Records Release Manager, HIM Manager, Counsel

Description:-

HIPAA enforcement activity is well established now with new attention to reported violations of HIPAA.  It is easy to become the target of a compliance investigation, and essential to be prepared in advance.

HIPAA Compliance requires that you be prepared to handle Protected Health Information properly and follow the requirements in the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules.  If there is a problem that comes to the surface, an enforcement action can result, including financial settlements that can reach up to millions of dollars, and Corrective Action Plans that can take years to complete and can cost many times the expense of the monetary settlements. 

We will review the contents of the updated 2018 HIPAA Audit Protocol to show what documentation needs to be on hand should your organization be selected for a compliance review.  We will present methods for using the contents of the HIPAA Audit Protocol to build your own compliance plan by relating your compliance activities directly to the questions that might be asked.

In this session we will discuss the HIPAA enforcement regulations and processes, how they apply to HIPAA covered entities and business associates, and how state Attorneys General can use the provisions enacted in the HITECH Act to file suit under Federal law.  We will explain the enforcement regulations and the increased fines and new penalty levels, including penalties for willful negligence of compliance that begin at $10,000 and reach into the millions of dollars.

Areas Covered in the Session:-

Learn about how the HIPAA enforcement rules work, and how HIPAA investigations can take place.

• Find out how state Attorneys General can initiate enforcement actions through filing civil suits under Federal Law.
• Learn about the penalties that can apply for non-compliance with accepted health information privacy and security practices.
• Find out what you'll need to have documented to survive an audit or compliance review and avoid fines.
• Learn how to make the HHS HIPAA Audit Protocol useful to you as a way to organize and track your compliance work, and collect your documentation references.
• Learn how to use an information security management process to evaluate risks and make decisions about how best to protect health information and meet patient needs and desires, as well as avoid penalties for non-compliance.

Why Should You Attend:-

In this session, we will discuss HIPAA enforcement activities and how they work, including how state Attorneys General can play a role in enforcement, and discuss the areas that caused the most issues in prior audits and enforcement actions.  We will explore what kind of issues and what kind of entities had the most problems, and show where entities need to improve their compliance the most.  We will also explore the typical risk issues that lead to breaches of health information and see how those issues may lead to significant penalties for non-compliance.

We will discuss what information and documentation must be prepared in advance so that you can be ready for an audit or enforcement review at any time, including sample information request forms and questions asked in prior audits and reviews.  The session will also cover how to know if you may become the subject of an audit or enforcement action, and what you can do to help limit your exposure.  We will discuss how most enforcement actions come about and what can be done to prevent incidents that lead to enforcement activity.

The results of prior HIPAA audits and enforcement actions (and their penalties) will be discussed, including recent actions involving multi-million-dollar fines and settlements, as well as penalties levied as a result of state lawsuits.  A plan for attaining compliance will be presented.  The steps to follow to prepare for and respond to a compliance review or audit request will be outlined.  

Background:-

Enforcement of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules has become a significant reality, and now not only is the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights involved, with penalties in the millions of dollars, but also individual state Attorneys General are also picking up the enforcement ball and running with it, leading to several recent penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Even if there is a slowdown in enforcement at the Federal level, enforcement activities continue where the state AGs see their states’ residents’ rights to the privacy and security of their health information threatened.  Now, more than ever, it is essential to have your HIPAA compliance in order so you can avoid the significant penalties for non-compliance.

Who Will Benefit:-

Attendees should include Compliance Officers, Privacy and Security Officers, and leadership and staff in health information management, information security, and patient relations, as well as staff in patient intake and front-line patient relations and any others that are involved in, interested in, or responsible for, patient communications, information management, and privacy and security of Protected Health Information under HIPAA, including:

• Compliance director
• CEO
• CFO
• Privacy Officer
• Security Officer
• Information Systems Manager
• HIPAA Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Health Information Manager
• Healthcare Counsel/lawyer
• Office Manager
• Contracts Manager