Overview:

With the implementation of new HIPAA regulations in the HIPAA Omnibus Update of 2013 and increased enforcement and audit activity, healthcare organizations are reviewing their compliance and making sure they have the proper policies, procedures, and forms in place. HIPAA Privacy Officers have been renewing their compliance activities and reviewing their documentation to make sure they can meet the challenges of the new rules and avoid breaches and penalties for compliance violations. HHS has been issuing new guidance and new enforcement settlements, providing extensive insights into what is permissible behavior by a covered entity, and what is not. The session will provide background on the guidance and enforcement activity, identifying key issues for HIPAA Privacy Officers to focus on.

This session is designed to provide intensive training in HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance, including what's new in the regulations, what needs to change in your organization, and what needs to be addressed for compliance by covered entities and business associates. The session provides the background and details for any healthcare information privacy officer to know what are the most important privacy issues, what needs to be done for HIPAA compliance, and what can happen when compliance is not adequate. Audits and enforcement, and how Privacy regulations relate to Security and Breach regulations will be explained, as well as responding to privacy and security breaches and ways to prevent them. Numerous references will be provided.

The session includes an overview of the HIPAA regulations and then continues with presentation of the specifics of the Privacy Rule and recent changes to the rules, including the impacts of required changes in your practices to meet the new rules. The session continues with a discussion of HIPAA Security Rule and Breach Notification requirements, including what you need to do to protect information and what you have to do if you don't, and concludes with discussion of the essential activities of documenting policies, procedures, and activities, training staff and managers in the issues and policies they need to know about, and examining compliance readiness through drills and self-audits. HIPAA compliance has never been easy, and it's getting more complicated. Taking the time now to be sure you know your responsbilities as a Privacy Officer has never been more important.

Why should you Attend:

• HIPAA has been around for a long time now, but many organizations are only now ensuring that they have done all that is necessary for compliance. Putting off compliance carries huge risks, now that there are fines for willful neglect of compliance (including ignorance of the rules) that begin at $50,000 for serious infractions.
• Significant, extensive new guidance has been issued by the Deparment of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights pertaining to patient access of records, that all HIPAA Privacy Officers should be aware of and familiar with.
• The HIPAA Omnibus Update rules contain numerous changes to HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification rules, including some having to do with patient access of records that will need to be reflected in every health care-related organization's policies and procedures. Several policies and procedures will need to be reviewed and updated to meet the new requirements. And there have been additional updates just in the last year that all organizations should be aware of, as well as expected new rules for Accounting of Disclosures.
• Patients also now have new rights under HIPAA and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) to directly access test results from the laboratories creating the data. Many labs that did not deal directly with patients before will now have to create patient-facing operations, and how they communicate sensitive results to patients will need to be considered.
• HIPAA now provides for individual rights to receive electronic copies of records held electronically, new rights to access laboratory test results, and new explanations from HHS about how to treat access to mental health information, including giving due consideration to patient requests and safety issues of the patient and others.
• The HIPAA Audits of 2012 revealed that providing the proper paitent access to information is asignificant compliance problem, and the new HIPAA Audit program by HHS is expected to include reviews of patient access polices and practices.
• All HIPAA Privacy Officers need to review their HIPAA responsbilities and their organization's compliance, policies, and procedures. Compliance is required and violations for willful neglect of the rules carry significant penalties.

• Overview of HIPAA Regulations
• Responsibilities of the HIPAA Privacy Officer
• HIPAA Privacy Rule Principles, Policies and Procedures
• Recent Changes to the HIPAA Rules
• Implementing the New HIPAA Omnibus Rules
• HIPAA Security and Breach Notification Rule Principles
• Documentation, Training, Drills and Self-Audits
• HIPAA requirements for access and patient preferences, as well as the requirements to protect PHI.
• How HIPAA audit and enforcement activities are now being increased and what you need to do to survive a HIPAA audit.
  

• Compliance Director
• CEO
• CFO
• Privacy Officer
• Security Officer
• Information Systems Manager
• HIPAA Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Health Information Manager
• Healthcare Counsel/lawyer
• Office Manager