Background

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was designed to help transform the U.S. healthcare system to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care. Among its many components, the HITECH Act provides funding for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for the meaningful adoption of certified electronic health record technology. Registration for eligible physicians and hospitals begins in January 2011, and incentive payments will begin in May 2011.

While the technology selected is a major component in meeting the meaningful use requirements, an overlooked and often challenging requirement is the performance of a risk assessment to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of protected health information.

So how does an organization realistically establish a plan and actually identify and mitigate its security risks?

In this exclusive session, healthcare organizations of all sizes will learn how to efficiently and effectively perform a risk assessment for meaningful use and correct identified security deficiencies.

You'll learn:

• The top security risks that hospitals, payers and physician practices now face;
• How to conduct a simplified, streamlined risk assessment, focusing on key risk areas and assessing management controls;
• How to prioritize risk and remediation practices to not only meet the meaningful use requirements but also to reduce the likelihood of experiencing a breach;
• How to manage information security risks and compliance requirements on a continual basis to alleviate patient concerns.