So far this year, business associate breaches account for roughly 12 percent of the total breaches reported to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), or 27 of the 233 reported breaches as of September 19. What does this mean to a covered entity? It means that it’s not enough to require a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Vendors should be diligently vetted.

CAP is pleased to offer its members a user-friendly, high-quality, interactive online training system that allows physician practices and other healthcare organizations to deliver compliance training to employees at a fraction of the cost of classroom training.

Most HIPAA violations are due to human error. For this reason, the most critical thing you can do is start by training all new employees and conduct annual staff training. Every physician and practice must ensure that all staff members understand the importance of patient privacy and the seriousness and potential penalties of even one violation. This training should demonstrate an awareness of and a commitment to HIPAA compliance.

Smartphone technology has opened up a world where communication is quick and convenient and its capabilities have been fully embraced by physicians. With all these capabilities at your fingertips are you potentially violating HIPAA when texting? Here are the top ten things you can do to safeguard your practice today.

Our tendency to ignore all but the immediate dangers is an approach that’s being exploited by cyber hackers. Ransomware is evolving, growing, and becoming increasingly sophisticated and effective.