Help With HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Contact us today for a free HIPAA Preparedness Evaluation!

When it comes to HIPAA, an ounce of prevention can prevent a ton of pain.

Wolfson Consulting, Inc. has been helping Physician Practices maintain HIPAA compliance for more than 10 years. We can help your practice too!

From Policies and Procedures specific to your Practice, to Educational Sessions for your staff, Wolfson Consulting, Inc. can help you prepare for the new demands of the expanded HIPAA laws. Contact us today for a free HIPAA Preparedness Evaluation.

HIPAA requires Physician Practices to comply with both:

• The Privacy Rule (Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information)
  
• The Security Rule (Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Health Information)

These rules require all Physician Practices to prepare and enforce Practice-Specific HIPAA Policies & Procedures. (You can't buy them out of a book!) These policies must be in place before a patient files a complaint and before a HIPAA Audit begins. Is your practice prepared?

While some Physician Practices have made an attempt to comply with these rules, most practices have not had the time or the resources to do so - and for good reasons! The rules are complex, confusing and enforcement has been minimal.

Until recently, violating the HIPAA regulations resulted in little more than a warning letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is no longer the case! Last year the U.S. Congress allocated more funds for the enforcement of HIPAA and transferred the authority of HIPPA Enforcement to the Office of Civil Rights.

Since passage of the HITECH act in 2010, HHS has added several rules to HIPAA, including the new "Breach Notification Rule". Even if your practice understands and meets these requirements, will you be prepared for a visit from HIPAA regulators when the time comes?

It is far easier, and less expensive, to avoid a HIPAA Audit than to respond to one.

Similarly, if your practice should have to respond to a HIPAA Audit, you would be well served to be prepared.

Is your practice ready for a HIPAA Audit?  For more information, view the following article from the June, 2010 issue of "Modern Medicine", Are You Ready for a HIPAA Audit?