Online Webinar 2019 - HIPAA Disaster Recovery and Emergency Mode Operations Requirements — Being Prepared to Overcome the Worst by Jim Sheldon-Dean

Overview
In recent years healthcare has been called upon to assist in an increasing number of disasters of various kinds, including horrific storms, fires, and mass casualty incidents. During such situations, there may be needs for properly sharing health information as well as protecting it, and needs for maintaining information security even as a crisis is unfolding.
Given the increasing frequency of severe hurricanes, tornadoes, and firearms assault incidents today, healthcare organizations must be prepared for the worst and not be caught off-guard when disaster strikes. In order to best provide services and fulfill their mission, healthcare organizations must be prepared to not only survive any event, but be able to continue providing the protections and services necessary while the event takes place, as well as provide the necessary communications following the event, to best provide services for patients and their families.
And these requirements get trickier to implement in in times of crisis or public health threat. It is essential for healthcare organizations to:
Plan for information release prior to an event
Develop policy before a disaster that guides staff actions during a disaster
Educate staff on the policies and monitor compliance
Guide staff during an emergency when contemplating disclosures
Maintain protection of information security during a disaster or emergency
According to HHS, the majority of HIPAA violations from recent years have occurred from employees mishandling protected health information (PHI), which can stem from inappropriate communications and social sharing. Violations under the HIPAA Privacy Rule include Civil Money Penalties which can result in fines ranging from $100 – $1,500,000 and higher (recently a $16 million settlement was reached) or Criminal Penalties which can result in fines up to $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison. Other consequences of violating HIPAA include lawsuits, the loss of a medical license, or employee termination. With such significant potential penalties, it has never been more important for healthcare organizations to be prepared for the worst.
Session Highlights
Don’t miss this informative to webinar to guide you and your team to remain HIPAA compliant during an emergency. You’ll learn:
What information can be disclosed and under what circumstances
How to handle disclosures to the media or others not involved in the care of the patient/notification
HIPAA Privacy Rule provisions during a declared emergency vs. public health threat
HIPAA Privacy Rule and disclosure to law enforcement
HIPAA social media guidelines to ensure that PHI remains protected
HIPAA Security Rule requirements for protection of PHI during emergencies
HHS guidance issued in connection with recent disasters
Who Will Benefit
Compliance director
CEO
CFO
Privacy Officer
Security Officer
Information Systems Manager
HIPAA Officer
Chief Information Officer
Health Information Manager
Healthcare Counsel/lawyer
Office Manager
Contracts Manager
Instructor Profile
Jim Sheldon-Dean is the founder and director of compliance services at Lewis Creek Systems, LLC, a Vermont-based consulting firm founded in 1982, providing information privacy and security regulatory compliance services to a wide variety of health care entities. He is a frequent speaker regarding HIPAA, including speaking engagements at numerous regional and national healthcare association conferences and conventions and the annual NIST/OCR HIPAA Security Conference. Sheldon-Dean has more than 19 years of experience specializing in HIPAA compliance, more than 37 years of experience in policy
analysis and implementation, business process analysis, information systems and software development, and eight years of experience doing hands-on medical work as a Vermont certified volunteer emergency medical technician. Sheldon-Dean received his B.S. degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Vermont and his master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.