By D’Arcy Gue – We healthcare writers spend a lot of time looking critically at federal compliance initiatives, especially the devils that may be in the details. Seriously, who even likes the unfortunate term “compliance?” Despite the hard knocks, HHS in fact has been an extraordinary trailblazer in modernizing American healthcare through information technology adoption.
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The following letter from Secretary Burwell was shared with the HHS staff on August 11, 2016. Dr. Karen DeSalvo will continue to serve as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health. Dr. Vindell Washington will serve as National Coordinator, overseeing the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
By D’Arcy Gue – After years of increasingly dangerous data security and privacy breaches across the American healthcare environment, HHS has decided to take preventative action. On July 25, HHS announced it will fund a new resource that will share “the most up-to-date cyber threat information across the health and public health sectors.
The job will not be complete until all health records are digital and interoperable. Recently making news in health information exchange is New York eHealth Collaborative, Inovalon, athenahealth, DirectTrust and Document Storage Systems, Inc.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has selected nearly 200 physician group practices and 17 health insurance companies to participate in a care delivery model that supports and encourages higher quality and more coordinated cancer care.
By Bob Grant – A bill to establish an Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was introduced in the House of Representatives. The office would issue guidance to better protect sensitive personal information and data from potential exposure to cyber-attacks.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) began listing more detailed and easier-to-understand information about certified health information technology (health IT).
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights released an updated Audit Protocol that it plans to use while investigating health care entities for HIPAA compliance. The biggest change to the audit protocol is the distinction that OCR has made between what’s required of Business Associates and Covered Entities.
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights announced that NY Presbyterian Hospital would be required to pay a $2.2M settlement after the “egregious disclosure” of two patients’ protected health information. NYP allowed an ABC film crew and staff from the show “NY Med” to film two patients, one of whom was dying, and another experiencing serious distress.