By now, you know that a HIPAA breach not only can be costly and time-consuming, but can also jeopardize your relationship with patients who trust you to safeguard their privacy. Regardless of practice size or scope, no healthcare provider is immune from being penalized for a breach. Just last month, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston was ordered to pay over $4.3 million in civil penalties for two HIPAA violations involving breaches of electronic protected health information of more than 33,500 individuals.
While you most likely will never experience a breach of that magnitude, even breaches lesser in scope can significantly impact the finances of a solo practitioner or small group. The good news is you can help reduce the likelihood of a HIPAA violation by taking advantage of the many resources you’re entitled to as a CAP member. Here are just a few:
CAP HIPAA Resource Center
You and your staff have access to a number of free HIPAA resources right at your fingertips on the CAP website. We encourage you to visit www.CAPphysicians.com/risk-management/tools-and-resources to download free guides, checklists, and other important documents all designed to keep you HIPAA compliant. These include:
- The 6 Most Common HIPAA Violations (and How to Prevent Them)
- HIPAA Risk Assessment Checklist
- HIPAA Omnibus Rule Checklist
- Sample Notice of Privacy Practices
- HIPAA Compliance Forms
- And more!
HIPAA Security Suite
If you are seeking a simple and affordable single-source solution to achieving and maintaining HIPAA compliance requirements, then look to the HIPAA Security Suite. Through our trusted CAPAdvantage provider, Acentec, you get ongoing risk analysis, a legally reviewed set of current policies and procedures, employee HIPAA training, and more – all at a 25 percent discount as a CAP member!
For more information, contact Acentec CEO and Founder Jeff Mongelli at 800-970-0402 or jeffm@acentec.com. Jeff will happily get back to you within one business day.
In addition to the plethora of HIPAA resources CAP makes available to you, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hosts an educational website, www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/training, for medical professionals, featuring guides, videos and other resources to help keep you in the know regarding HIPAA compliance.
We hope you take advantage of the valuable CAP benefits intended to protect you from the financial and emotional fallout of a HIPAA violation.