By: Kat King, AHDI-F, Delegate

What was the significance of February 17?

Susan Lucci, CMT, RHIT, AHDI-F, AHDI President, reminded us it’s the one-year anniversary of the HITECH Act and the new HIPAA rules are now in effect.

The HITECH Act does several things:

• Extends the reach of HIPAA privacy and security rules
• Imposes breach notification requirements on covered entities and business associates (that’s you!)
• Limits many uses at disclosure of PHI
• Increases individual’s rights related to PHI
• Increases enforcement and penalties for privacy and security violations

Get prepared, don’t be left behind, or be the weak target!

Many companies will suffer needlessly or go under once they have one bad breach. If it seems like a reasonable security measure, implement it. There are no specifics when it comes to data security written in the law.

Identify weaknesses in your security plan. Be objective about your risk analysis. Make every single decision with patient privacy in mind. We have a moral obligation to protect the privacy of the patients that we work with. If you are not sure what the new rules are and what you need to do NOW to be in compliance, go to AHDI and obtain the Manual of Ethical Best Practices for the Healthcare Documentation Sector. An MT version will be available soon at the member rate of $40.

Become familiar with the Health Story Project. Visit their website and attend educational opportunities. Nick Mahurin, CEO, InfraWare, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Health Story Project and will be presenting at the AHDI-West Conference in Phoenix, AZ, April 17.