The SECURITY & PRIVACY NEWSLETTER is published monthly in support of the healthcare industry's efforts to work together towards compliance in security and privacy. Subscribers total over 3,000.
In this issue:
1. Monthly HIPAA Compliance Tip: Transmission Security
2. The Value of Provider-to-Provider Telehealth Technologies
3. HIMSS Arkansas/Tennessee Chapter Meeting
4. Where IT Development Should Start
5. Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) 12th Annual Compliance Institute April 13-16, 2008; New Orleans
6. HIPAA Privacy Rule Impacts Badly On Health Research, Say Two-thirds Of Clinical Scientists
7. Hospitalized Student Gets High-Tech Help
1. Monthly HIPAA Compliance Tip: Transmission Security Brought to you by: Ali Pabrai, CISSP, CSCS, HIPAA Academy
The objective of the Transmission Security (§ 164.312(e)(1)) HIPAA Standard is for covered entities to implement technical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to electronic protected health information that is being transmitted over an electronic communications network.
Organizations need to review:
- What measures exist to protect EPHI in transmission?
- Is there an auditing process in place to verify that EPHI has been protected against unauthorized access during transmission?
- Are there trained staff members to monitor transmissions?
This section of the HIPAA Security Rule is focused on securing the movement of sensitive information such as EPHI on open networks such as the Internet as well as securing your wireless and wired network infrastructure.
For a complimentary copy of a white paper on Regulatory Compliance and Information Security, please visit www.ecfirst.com/complianceportal.
For a free quick reference card on the ISO 27002 international security standard, please email technologysolutions@aha.org
2. The Value of Provider-to-Provider Telehealth Technologies
The Value of Provider-to-Provider Telehealth Technologies examines the value proposition for implementing a subset of telehealth technologies: those in which providers are involved in both the near, or patient side, and the far side of the encounter.
CITL examined the overall value of three telehealth technology systems: store-and-forward, real-time video, and a hybrid model that combining the first two. The analysis looks at the cost-benefit of using telehealth technologies in four healthcare settings including:
- Reducing emergency department transfers
- Reducing transfers from correctional facilities to emergency departments and physician offices
- Reducing transfers from nursing home facilities to emergency departments and physician offices
- Replacing in-person consults with virtual consults
- Reducing redundant and unnecessary laboratory tests
For more information and access to valuable reports, click here.
3. HIMSS Arkansas/Tennessee Chapter Meeting
Date: February 7, 2007
Location: Arkansas/Tennessee HIMSS Chapter Meeting, Memphis, TN
- Gain a better understanding of current trends affecting Healthcare
- Understand the National Framework for Change Healthcare Reform “Health For Life”
- Obtain an overview of current HIT legislative issues
To register for this event:
Arkansas/Tennessee Meeting - Click Here
4. Where IT Development Should Start
During the past few years, the pace of health IT development and adoption has been lightning fast. But now it’s time to slow down and take a step back.
It seems counterintuitive, but there are so many efforts underway to address health information technology policy and standardization that we may be creating a Gordian knot that could tie up progress for years to come.
Policymakers are writing legislation that would create public-private partnerships, and industry-driven commissions are certifying standards of interoperability. This interest is terrific. But there is a downside to cementing in place untested technology and business models.
To read the full article, click here.
5. Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) 12th Annual Compliance Institute April 13-16, 2008; New Orleans
Join your colleagues in New Orleans for HCCA's 12th Annual Compliance Institute—the single most comprehensive compliance conference designed specifically to meet the needs of today's health care compliance professional. The 2008 Institute will be held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, New Orleans, LA
To register or for the most updated information, visit www.compliance-institute.org
6. HIPAA Privacy Rule Impacts Badly On Health Research, Say Two-thirds Of Clinical Scientists
“A survey revealed that approximately two-thirds of clinical scientists believe the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Privacy Rule for patients has impacted negatively on the way health research is carried out - making it prone to delays, higher costs and confusion, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), November 14th issue.”
To read the full article, click here.
7. Hospitalized Student Gets High-Tech Help
“A hospitalized high school student facing almost unimaginable challenges isn't just taking classes from her hospital room. She's passing the classes with flying colors. She has a disease that nearly killed her. But technology is helping her recovery and giving her an edge in school.”
To read the full article, click here.
