HIPAA Enforcement Around the Corner
Many healthcare providers are gearing up in 2015 for the HIPAA enforcement that's slotted to take place throughout the year. In fact, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) anticipates receiving 17,000+ complaints this year filed for breaches of private patient information. As of early December 2014, 1,170 security breaches under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act involving 31 million records had been reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--so the problem of data breaches is very real. Enforcement can come with serious fines for violations, too. Accidental violations can cost anywhere from $100-$50,000...even on the first offense. So what should you be on the lookout for? In this post, we'll discuss some of the main areas you should beef up security around to prepare for HIPAA enforcement.
