Keys to the Kingdom Keeping Up with HIPAA, the Omnibus Rule & Data Privacy by Michelle Paster

In this new world of HIPAA, lack of compliance can be quite costly. Keep in mind, penalties for non-compliance can be as much as $1.5 million a year per type of violation and result in the imposition of a Corrective Action Plan. But with so many regulations and endless cycles of modifications, updates, and extensions, how can any healthcare provider be expected to keep up?

The key to compliance in today's ever-changing world is to start thinking beyond meeting the current regulatory requirements. Rather, you to need to focus on creating a HIM infrastructure capable of easily and cost-effectively evolving with the regulatory environment. Let's explore how best practices and a centralized HIM model can help you do just that.

Identify Gaps

The first step in building any compliant program is to identify where and how your organization processes PHI. From there, clear policies and procedures that address the use, disclosure, security, and destruction of PHI must be established, implemented, trained upon, and monitored. The key is to know where your data is and ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect both physical and digital information at every stage of its lifecycle and in every location. This is a difficult task to say the least, but one that is undoubtedly made easier through the centralization of physical and digital records and the consolidation of risk-laden processes.

Centralize the Records

The consolidation of physical and digital records, and not just patient records, but all records across multiple departments and facilities, enables you to know what records you have and to manage this information more securely. When information is centralized in a single location, access can be monitored more efficiently and robust security protocols, such as video surveillance and badge-authorized entry, can be easily and cost-effectively implemented. You can also take advantage of advanced inventory management tools such as barcode tracking technology and inventory management portals that provide 24/7 visibility.

Consolidate Resource-Intensive, Risk-laden Processes

One of the most significant benefits of consolidation is that it establishes a shared services platform, which can significantly reduce cost and risk. Storing patient records in one location and processing Release of Information ( ROI ) or scanning requests in another requires transporting these records back and forth between the storage facility and the location where these functions are performed, and brings with it heightened risk. Often in-house employees are allocated to several responsibilities, limiting their ability to specialize in or focus on any one process. Housing production functions and the records in the same location eliminate points of risk, such as unnecessary transportation, while providing the added benefit of dedicated resources.

Validate Your Vendor's Compliance

Keep in mind, one of the most critical components to consider with a centralized model is vendor compliance. Asking the right questions up front is an essential component of any compliance program and will go a long way toward protecting sensitive patient information. Recommendations on key questions to ask to validate your vendor can be found in our HIPAA Primer Best Practices Guide.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2013/industry/healthcare-information-man...
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