New Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, which expand the scope of responsible parties to include vendors who contract with healthcare companies, are set to take effect on March 26. Anyone who "creates, maintains, receives or transmits Protected Health Information," is liable under the new regulations, says a Reuters article.
Announced in January, the new regulations also expand the definition of health-information privacy, make it easier for patients to know there has been a breach and presume any breach will cause harm, putting the burden on the healthcare provider or their associates to prove otherwise, says the article. The original 1996 act treated an incident as a breach only if it would likely harm a patient's finances or reputation, or cause other harm.
Another change to HIPAA is that individual penalties can go as high as $1.5 million per infraction, says the article. Businesses will have until Sept. 23 to comply with the changes.
Read the article.
New HIPAA regulations include vendors as responsible parties
New Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, which expand the scope of responsible parties to include vendors who contract with healthcare companies, are set to take effect on March 26.
By Healthcare Facilities Today
March 19, 2013
Topic Area: Industry News
Recent Posts
Case Study: How NYU Langone Rebuilt for Resilience After Superstorm Sandy
Although the damage was severe, it provided a valuable opportunity for NYU Langone to assess structural vulnerabilities and increase facility resilience.
Frederick Health Hospital Faces 5 Lawsuits Following Ransomware Attack
The lawsuits accuse FHH of inadequate cybersecurity, poor breach notification and failing to protect patients from identity theft risks.
Arkansas Methodist Medical Center and Baptist Memorial Health Care to Merge
They have signed a non-binding letter of intent to complete a shared mission agreement to merge the two organizations.
Ground Broken on Intermountain Saratoga Springs Multi-Specialty Clinic
The clinic is scheduled to open and start seeing patients in the fall of 2026.
Electrical Fire Tests Resilience of Massachusetts Hospital
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital used opportunity to renovate key systems and components and expand facility operations.