As part of the Obama adminstration's gun control efforts, HHS is reminding healthcare providers that HIPAA allows them to disclose patient health information to law enforcement if they believe the patient is a danger to themselves or to others.
The long overdue final HIPAA omnibus rule has been released. The package includes extensive modifications to the HIPAA privacy, security and enforcement rules as well as an updated version of the HIPAA breach notification rule.
Commenters reacting to proposed HHS requirements for Stage 3 of the HITECH Act electronic health record incentive program raise a wide range of privacy and security concerns. Find out what the AMA and others had to say.
Convenience is nice, but don't equate making work easier with productivity - especially to the tune of $28 billion a year for the U.S. federal government, which a just-released survey contends.
Following a breach, one healthcare organization banned the use of cell phones by volunteers. Was this a proactive measure or an overreaction? Kate Borten and other security experts offer analysis.
It will be a few years until many organizations reach a level of maturity with continuous monitoring. Getting there will take organizationwide acceptance, says George Schu of Booz Allen Hamilton.
With Congress facing $1.2 trillion in budget cuts, Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel says funding for cybersecurity initiatives will likely be affected. But with smart planning, government information technology should not be placed at risk.
An incremental approach to HIE guidance is reasonable to help avoid stunting the use of emerging technologies. But the issuance of guidelines shouldn't be dragged out - which I fear is a possibility.
Three recent identity theft incidents highlight the need for healthcare organizations to stay vigilant in preventing fraud involving insiders. Security experts offer advice.
If we're at war, the fight so far is unbalanced, and the U.S. should be grateful its cyberspace adversary is Iran. "We're probably not very prepared for a virtual conflict against a really competent state, such as Russia or China," says Rand Corp.'s Martin Libicki.
Kathryn Marchesini, a privacy adviser at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, outlines the three most important steps healthcare organizations should take to avoid breaches of information on mobile devices.
A federal advisory panel has recommended that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT issue guidance soon on how to verify the identities of patients seeking online access to their records.
While a privacy advocate is demanding federal guidance on protecting health data in the cloud, one federal official says pending HIPAA modifications will help ensure patient data is safeguarded.
Massachusetts' attorney general fines a now-defunct medical billing firm and four pathology practices a total of $140,000 for HIPAA violations stemming from improper disposal of paper records.
Tom Ridge, the first Homeland Security secretary, questions the wisdom of granting the Department of Homeland Security greater authority to influence IT security within the federal government and the nation's critical IT infrastructure.
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