Healthcare 2020 - HIPAA Changes for 2020 and Beyond

Overview:
HIPAA Compliance has recently seen big changes in how the rules are enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and for individual access requests, long-overdue changes may be coming to regulations on Accounting of Disclosures of Protected Health Information (PHI), we can expect new rules regarding the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices and calling patients' cell phones, and a little-used HIPAA right may become a hot topic if the Affordable Care Act is threatened.
And there have been calls for HIPAA expansions to cover new technologies and new uses of PHI. There is no shortage of critical topics for medical offices to respond to, to meet requirements and avoid penalties.
This session will review the scope of what must be done to stay in compliance with the HIPAA regulations as individual access comes into focus both as a right that is vigorously enforced, yet now limited in some ways by a new Federal court order. Keeping up with these complex changes is essential to compliance with HIPAA access requirements.
The session will prepare organizations for the impacts of likely rule changes in areas such as Accounting of Disclosures, the Notice of Privacy Practices, cell phone communications, and new technologies. New rules expected for Accounting of Disclosures will be explored and their expected futures and impacts will be discussed, and impacts of changes to 42 CFR Part 2 and controls on information relating to substance use disorders will be explained.
One potential impact is not a HIPAA change, but an increase in the demand for requests to exert rights to keep treatment secret from health plans, which could result from changes to the ACA.
This session will help practices prepare for the various changes and avoid the significant penalties (up to $1.7 million and beyond) for non-compliance.
why you should Attend: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 has now been around for nearly a quarter century, and the regulations have evolved since the Privacy Rule first became enforceable in 2003. The recent adjustments, guidance, and allowances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have led to new uses of technology that won’t just go back to the old ways once the emergency is over and regulations are returned to a non-emergency state.
There have been numerous enforcement settlements, there are new threats to the privacy and security of patient information, and still more changes in the rules are expected based on the HITECH Act and goals for greater patient access rights and integration of care services.
In addition, a recent Federal Court decision has changed the rules for providing access to patient information under the rules for individual access of PHI, and new guidance has been issued about the responsibilities of Business Associates for HIPAA compliance.