HIPAA compliance lies at the heart of the U.S. healthcare system. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the foundation upon which patient information is protected and there is no excuse for anyone associated with healthcare not to abide by HIPAA to the letter of the law.
And that includes working remotely.
When HIPAA was enacted on August 21, 1996, the concept that millions of healthcare workers would be accessing patient data from home or outside the walls of their hospitals or health practices was fantasy. The internet was in its formative years, the first iPhone was more than a decade away and there was a clear distinction between home and ‘the office’. Then came the digital revolution, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and before you could say ‘patient confidentiality’, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was raising concerns about the risk of using remote access systems that lack HIPAA compliance features1.
With 36.2 million Americans predicted to work remotely by 2025 – an 87% increase on pre-pandemic levels2 - it has never been more important for health executives and staff to understand the risks of working with protected health information and the need to ensure the maintenance of HIPAA compliance regardless of where that work is done. To assist with that cause, this definitive guide will provide them with the information they need to navigate HIPAA compliance in the modern world and ensure patient confidentiality remains their highest priority.
HIPAA is an acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that was enacted to protect patients’ protected health information (PHI). The Act is designed to ensure only patients and the organizations working with and handling their PHI can access such information, with the likes of healthcare providers, insurers and business partners needing to comply with the law. Failure to do so can result in financial penalties ranging from $100 to $50,000 per violation, while criminal penalties can be imposed for intentional breaches including potential imprisonment3.
Source: The Ultimate HIPAA Compliance Checklist for 2023 (secureframe.com)
Patient confidentiality is a major concern for the healthcare sector, with a record 40 million people affected by cybersecurity breaches in the first half of 20234. HIPAA compliance puts a legal responsibility on hospitals and health services to do what is needed to avoid adding to statistics such as:
Let’s make one thing clear – remote workers are not the issue when it comes to maintaining HIPAA standards. Rather, it is about the systems and support they have access to outside the traditional hospital or health setting. One 2021 study found that only 20% of IT teams had provided adequate tools and resources to support staff working remotely long-term and while that has likely risen in the wake of COVID-19, several remote work risks remain.
Source: Discover the top 3 causes of HIPAA violations and their simple solutions (calyptix.com)
The success of remote work has also resulted in an increasing number of healthcare providers investing in outsourcing to support their operations. From revenue cycle management, contact center and patient access to medical coding and high-volume back-office tasks, quality offshore providers are highly skilled at sourcing the right people and supporting clients with HIPAA compliance and patient data safeguards. Issues to consider when engaging an outsourcing provider include:
The healthcare sector’s adherence to HIPAA compliance is one of the great comforts for patients. Crucially, that commitment remains regardless of whether a team member is handling PHI in a hospital, health practice or remote work setting. The COVID-19 pandemic inspired a generational change for working environments and it is reassuring to know that steps continue to be made to ensure a rise in remote workers coincides with a rise in public confidence in patient data security.
Patient care may be top priority but health administrators are facing a battle to balance the books in an industry where margins are low and ‘customer’ expectations are high. Discover why an increasing number of health executives are looking offshore to meet the needs of their hospitals and practices.
Reference:
[1] Baground (hhs.gov)
[2] Upwork Study Finds 22% of American Workforce Will Be Remote by 2025 | Upwork
[3] What are the Penalties for HIPAA Violations? 2023 Update (hipaajournal.com)
[4] Fewer, but larger, healthcare data breaches reported in the first half of 2023 (fiercehealthcare.com)
[5] 51 HIPAA Statistics Every Healthcare Entity Needs to Know in 2023 | UpGuard
[6] Largest Healthcare Data Breaches Reported in February 2022 (globenewswire.com)
[7] 25+ Alarming Largest Healthcare Data Breaches Statistics 2023 (techjury.net)
[8] Enforcement Highlights - Current | HHS.gov
[9] Are Your Passwords in the Green? (hivesystems.io)
[10] The Human Factor in IT Security: How Employees are Making Businesses Vulnerable from Within | Kaspersky official blog
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