PRESS RELEASE
Contact: John Schelewitz
Phone: 1.480.663.3225
E-mail: John.Schelewitz@ecfirst.com
Website: www.ecfirst.com

HIPAA Academy Evaluation Program Enables
Compliance with HIPAA & HITECH Mandates

NEWPORT BEACH CA USA -- HIT/HIPAA UPDATE NEWS SERVICE™ -- MARCH 15, 2010: The HIPAA Academy Evaluation Program enables covered entities, business associates and personal health record vendors to complete a comprehensive assessment for HIPAA Privacy, HIPAA Security and HITECH Act mandates. ecfirst, home of the HIPAA Academy and On-Demand Compliance Services, is the industry’s gold standard for enabling organizations to address HIPAA and HITECH regulatory requirements.

As organizations address the challenge of securely managing Electronic Health Records (EHR), especially with the introduction of HITECH meaningful use, compliance with HIPAA regulations is a core requirement. The HIPAA Academy Evaluation Program is a vendor independent, 3rd party program designed to ensure your organization’s compliance with HIPAA Privacy, HIPAA Security and HITECH requirements.

• A comprehensive report of your entity’s compliance posture based on an on-site visit and analysis of your policies, procedures, processes and practices
• Identification and establishment of risk to Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI) and vital assets through the use of tools for vulnerability assessment
• A detailed Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to prioritize and address gaps in compliance
• Knowledge transfer as a direct result of HIPAA/HITECH training and certification
• Exclusive access to the HIPAA Academy AuditShieldTM Service to assist your entity with resources and capabilities to address outside audits or on-site investigations
• Prioritized access to highly credentialed professionals on compliance and information security to advise on HIPAA, HITECH, State regulations, PCI DSS, NIST guidelines and the ISO 27000
• Exclusive use of the HIPAA Academy Evaluation Seal to communicate confidence and establish trust with covered entities, business associates and consumers

The HITECH Act, the HIPAA Privacy and HIPAA Security Rules are resulting in covered entities and business associates to clearly establish “reasonable and appropriate” safeguards to secure all Protected Health Information (PHI) the organization stores, processes, or transmits. The penalties have been enhanced as a direct consequence of the HITECH Act and fines may be upto $1.5 million for violations. Further, as witnessed by the actions of the Attorney General of the State of Connecticut we are beginning to witness civil lawsuits for violations.

CONTACT ECFIRST - HOME OF THE HIPAA ACADEMY
To discuss the HIPAA Academy Evaluation Program further and to enable your organization to be in complete compliance with HIPAA and HITECH mandates, please contact John Schelewitz at +1.480.663.3225 or e-mail him at John.Schelewitz@ecfirst.com.

ABOUT THE HIPAA ACADEMY AUDITSHIELD™ PROGRAM
The HIPAA Academy AuditShield™ Program provides immediate expertise that your organization can engage to manage all activities including communication and development of critical documentation to help you address audit requirements by government agencies and others. The HIPAA Academy will not only provide immediate resources to respond to queries but also assist you in streamlining processes so your organization can address this challenge and be on the path to complete compliance with regulatory mandates.

1. Immediate access to HIPAA & HITECH Compliance and Information Security Experts
2. Initiate a documented, pre-determined response plan
3. HIPAA Academy experts arrive on-site within 4 business days
4. Manage the complete audit process
5. Build audit response documentation kit for presentation to government agency or other auditors
6. Document all information requested and prepare response to areas identified during the audit
7. Respond with all required information and communicate with all involved parties on activities and status
8. Establish framework for complete knowledge transfer to enable the organization to improve processes and capabilities
9. Presentation to all involved staff on what to expect and who will be interviewed

• Evaluation Program
• Risk Analysis
• Technical Vulnerability Assessment
• On-Demand Compliance Services
• Contingency Planning/Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
• Social Engineering
• Managed Compliance
• Security Audit

With over 1,400 clients since 1999 and recognized as an Inc. 500 firm – America’s fastest growing Top 500 privately held business in its first year of eligibility, ecfirst has enabled hundreds of organizations all across the United States and abroad, achieve and maintain compliance with regulations and standards that impact their business.

ecfirst is Minority Business Enterprise Certified and accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). For more information, please visit ecfirst.com or contact John.Schelewitz@ecfirst.com.