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A new voluntary privacy and security certification program for covered entities in Texas aims to bolster compliance with HIPAA and state regulations – and perhaps help organizations avoid federal sanctions. The Texas Health Services Authority developed the new Texas Covered … Continue reading →
Faced with a vulnerability that exposes Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser to a zero-day exploit involved in recent targeted attacks, CISOs need to take prompt action, security specialists say. That includes communicating the vulnerability to end users, using alternate Web … Continue reading →
There are always questions when it comes to new software or programs that promise to save you money, keep your data secure, and so on. Well, just as there are questions, there are answers as well. It’s time to prove … Continue reading →
Privacy and security are vital components of all major projects that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has under way, says Karen DeSalvo, M.D., the new head of the office. “We consider privacy and security an important … Continue reading →
Karen DeSalvo, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology, has proposed that ONC become “more forward-thinking.” At an April 8 Health Information Policy Committee, which she chairs, she urged the panel to consider what needs to change. DeSalvo suggested … Continue reading →
The most basic security truth in 2014 is that encryption done properly — a high enough level of encryption, proper safeguarding of the encryption key — is the best thing an IT department can do. Sill, many industries resist encryption … Continue reading →
Concentra Health Services, Addison, Texas, a subsidiary of Humana and a provider of occupational medicine and other health services, has agreed to pay the Office for Civil Rights more than $1.7 million in a federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability … Continue reading →
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights will resume its HIPAA compliance audit program this fall with a limited number of narrowly focused “desk audits,” plus comprehensive on-site audits “as resources allow.” In contrast, the first, … Continue reading →
Dr. Karen DeSalvo is a woman in transition. As the fifth head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, just four months into the job, she will oversee the winding down of many programs started and … Continue reading →
The early adopters and even the late followers appear to have already joined the federal EHR incentive payment program and the holdouts or those not successfully participating are shaping up to be a significant number of providers, the latest CMS … Continue reading →