Although it can be hard to focus on anything else during the pandemic, it’s important to keep in mind that HIPAA violations are still very much around.
According to HIPAA guidelines, all health data that is created, stored, maintained or transmitted must be secure at all times. If medical organizations fail to comply with the HIPAA rules and regulations by not properly securing confidential information then they will also be faced with financial penalties and potential civil suits.
It’s true that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) relaxed some requirements during the pandemic. However, they released the following headlines which should serve as a good reminder that if you are in a medical-related field being HIPAA compliant is really important:
- OCR fines 1-doctor medical practice $100,000 for not having an accurate and thorough security risk analysis – March 3, 2020
- OCR Secures $2.175 Million HIPAA Settlement After Hospitals Failed to Properly Notify HHS of a Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information – November 26, 2019
- OCR Imposes a $1.6 Million Civil Money Penalty against Texas Health and Human Services Commission for not having an accurate and thorough security risk analysis – November 7, 2019
- Failure to Encrypt Mobile Devices Leads to $3 Million HIPAA Settlement – November 5, 2019
CATS Technology Solutions Group understands that achieving HIPAA compliance can seem like an overwhelming process but will be able to assist you from start to finish:
- CATS will start by conducting a security risk assessment where the client can view their security and network risks.
- CATS will then implement a remediation plan and work with the client to minimize risk and meet HIPAA regulations.
- CATS will continue to run network and security scans to provide quarterly reports and work with the client to verify that they stay in compliance.
CATS Technology Solutions Group will do what it takes to make sure you are HIPAA compliant and protected from potential violations. Just give us a call: 732-204-7100.
