New HIPAA Regulations Take Effect Today--Are You Compliant?

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00018377-new-hipaa-regulations-take-effect-today-a/

Today’s the day most of the new rules in the HIPAA Omnibus Regulations take effect, changing how healthcare providers and their partners manage patient data related to healthcare information security, compliance, jurisdiction, and enforcement.

Just to print the new regulations requires more than a ream of paper, so if you haven’t taken the time to read them, absorb them, and implement them, you’re too late. As insidePatientFinance.com pointed out back in January when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the new regulations, implementing the changes has been estimated to cost providers, insurers, and their respective partners as much as a $225.4 million.

The entire omnibus final rule can be downloaded here (PDF, registration required): (You must be logged in to download this file. Don't have an account? Register for free and you'll be returned to this page.)

The biggest change to HIPAA regulations does not affect providers as much as their 400,000 business associates, such as debt collection partners, who now are as liable for protecting patient data as providers. insidePatientFinance.com has distilled the relevant regulations covering the relationship between providers (“covered entities” in the regulations) and collection partners (“business associates”) into a single 21-page document that you can download here (PDF, registration required): (You must be logged in to download this file. Don't have an account? Register for free and you'll be returned to this page.)

Under the new regulations, business associates and their subcontractors that come in contact with protected patient data will be required to have a business associate agreement between the two parties, just as providers and business associates have done in the past. But as the new regulations may require extensive changes to current business associate agreements, HHS has allowed a grace period of one year, but only if a current business associate agreement already exists.