Security Policies
Past examinations and inquiries conducted by OCR have consistently uncovered security policies and procedures, mandated by regulations and crucial as the cornerstone of your compliance guidance, to be antiquated, obsolete, or absent. Such findings often result in penalties.
This scenario remains relevant this year, particularly as HIPAA commemorates its 20th anniversary in 2016, prompting OCR to audit 350 entities, encompassing Covered Entities and Business Associates, for the first time. The upcoming “desk checks” will specifically scrutinize these documents, providing each entity with a singular opportunity to respond with their documentation, regardless of its current state. The looming question is: “Are you adequately prepared?”
Our reassurance is: “Stay calm.” We possess the required solutions through our Privacy and Security Policy templates and Preparation Support. In contrast to generic “Compliance in a Box” template packages, our templates transcend the typical boilerplate, avoiding the pitfalls of a “cut-and-paste-from-the-web” approach that fails to align with compliance requirements or your organization’s unique needs.
Scope of Work for Policy Creation for HIPAA Security Rule:
Our documentation framework is top-notch, up-to-date with all the latest HHS requirements, and finely tuned to match your unique environment. Our documents undergo thorough editorial and legal reviews, ensuring the highest quality, easy readability, and regulation compliance. This simplifies the review and signoff process for your Management and Legal staff.
Our expert support extends to the preparation phase. Our framework document writers are HIPAA and policy writing experts, ready to guide you through customizations or changes, saving you time and effort.
The result is a comprehensive document that ensures compliance and offers flexibility to accommodate other standards you may be subject to, such as PCI for Payment card standards, FTC for Red Flag rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley control requirements for public reporting entities, among others.
Final Deliverables for HIPAA Security Policies:
The journey through the HIPAA Security Rule starts with a thorough Risk Analysis, a crucial step that delves into potential vulnerabilities, both technological and non-technological. This process is pivotal for entities to identify areas susceptible to errors or possible attacks.
Our documentation framework integrates with the OCR process, addressing all essential elements. We guide you through the analysis, documenting the findings comprehensively to ensure compliance. This will include:
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- Facilities
- Staff and workflow
- Examination of computers and networks
- Vulnerability testing
- Log generation and reporting
- Incident detection and response
- Business Associate Contracts
- Documentation
We start by summarizing the results, crafting a plan for corrective actions, setting a schedule, and then getting hands-on to make it happen! Once the strategy is executed, we review it together, ensuring every detail is ticked off.
Navigating Risk Analysis can be intricate. With our 30+ years of leading industry expertise, we guide you through the process, imparting knowledge along the way. By the end, you’ll be equipped to handle this crucial task independently.
As part of our efforts, we prepare a Contingency Plan, which is essential for facing natural or otherwise disasters. Accessing crucial information is critical, and our plan aligns with HIPAA requirements, ensuring your data and organization survive and thrive, enabling your team to carry on their essential work.
In the event of an OCR Audit or investigation, we have your back. Upon notification, we swing into action, deciphering the necessary steps and gathering all required elements. We walk you through the process, outlining potential risks so you can strategize with your Legal Counsel.
Coupling this framework with the Supremus Group HIPAA Professional Certification Training brings everything together to equip your organization to meet any HIPAA Compliance challenge: the proper documentation, expertise, and program. Our professional certification program ties them all together. You can find our training program at https://www.hipaatraining.net/hipaa-for-healthcare-providers-payers/
Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation to give you the best solution to meet your HIPAA compliance needs.
Privacy Policies
HIPAA Consulting Services for HIPAA Privacy Policy, Procedures, and Implementation
While the Security Rule concentrates on safeguarding patient information within your computer systems through technological measures, the HIPAA Privacy Rule takes a more process-oriented approach. It outlines criteria focusing on methods and procedures to handle patient information, ensuring privacy during essential tasks.
When you engage us to assess your policies and methods, we initiate the process by discussing your concerns and understanding your operations and workflow. This comprehension is crucial before delving into the actual evaluation. A thorough Gap Analysis helps identify strengths and areas requiring enhancement or refinement.
Once we’ve gathered insights, we carefully craft a Corrective Action Plan. We present our findings through ongoing communication to you, ensuring mutual awareness and a comprehensive understanding of the context. This shared understanding forms a solid foundation for collaboratively addressing any identified areas that need attention.
Our documentation framework completely adheres to the Privacy Rule and encompasses all the essential aspects. It guides you through the process, constructs the needed templates, and ensures seamless alignment and integration with your workflow. Examples of process and policy templates include:
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- Privacy Officer processes
- Staff and workflow
- Disclosure requests handling, including
- Requests from official, external sources
- Patient requests
- Investigations and audits
- De-identification processes (if applicable)
- Information sharing and incidental disclosure
- Incident detection and response
- Training processes
- Documentation management
Once the plan is finalized, we’ll thoroughly review it with you, reviewing each element to confirm completion. Our ongoing collaboration ensures your refined workflow covers all essential aspects, guaranteeing dependable and repeatable success in Privacy Rule compliance.
In the event of an OCR Audit investigation, we’ve got your back. We guide you through the process, highlighting potential risks and enabling you to strategize with your Legal Counsel.
Maintaining up-to-date documentation can be tedious and overlooked, posing a significant audit risk. We address this challenge by implementing workflows seamlessly integrating with your existing processes, making document management more natural and requiring minimal effort.
We aim to help you achieve compliance seamlessly, with minimal disruption to your operations. We strive to make HIPAA compliance an inherent part of your system, ensuring your organization runs smoothly and efficiently.