HHS turns HIPAA over to the Office for Civil Rights. Today, Kathleen Sebelius–Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary–transferred the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule’s delegation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The…
Ambulatory Surgery Centers (“ASCs”) need to take note of additional federal Conditions for Coverage (“CFCs”) governing patient rights that took effect May 18, 2009. The Amendments to these CFCs, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published on November 18, 2008, are codified at “Part 416 – Ambulatory…
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, passed as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (i.e., the Stimulus Bill), requires the development of regulations requiring certain covered entities to provide thorough notification in the cases where there has been a…
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act” or the “Act”) included in the “Stimulus Bill” significantly expands HIPAA privacy and security provisions. Health care organizations and providers may be interested in some of the critical aspects of the HIPAA privacy and security portions as follows:…