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Why your organization and its team members should attend compliance webinars ?

Compliance has become a buzzword for organizations both large and small.  The main issue with companies and organizations trying to adhere with all regulatory compliance is that both compliance and the HHShave no bias.  Yes, compliance doesn’t care if you have a full time compliance officer, a million dollar budget or absolutely no idea what you are doing.

There are always tons of options regarding ways to educate yourself about compliance. However,most of these options will only focus on a textbook way of achieving compliance education and can be costly.  In our free compliance webinar series, we strive to not only find industry experts, but also to focus on relevant topics that pertain to the compliance industry and what you need to know.

Here at Compliancy Group, we are aware of the gaps in compliance knowledge as a whole and how this can effect an organization of any size.  This is why we decided to create our free education series where the focus revolves around supplying a wide range of compliance webinars.Most importantly, knowledgeable speakers who have expertise in their fields ranging from HIPAA compliance to health care law carry out these compliance webinars. Past topics of compliance webinars have included: HIPAA, HITECH, Meaningful Use, the Omnibus Rule, Business Associates, HIPAA Compliance Checklist, and much moredemonstrated by speakers such as: Frank Ruelas, Matt Fisher, and Bob Grant.

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What is HIPAA and Why Do I Need to Abide by These Rules and Regulations?

If people have heard of HIPAA or the Health Insurance Accountability and Portable Act of 1996, they probably know that it protects their private medical information. HIPAA actually forced the government to create standards designed to protect personal health care information that is submitted and electronically stored. However, a lot of people do not understand what the law really covers.

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act of 1996 contains five titles. Title One of HIPAA provides health insurance protection for employees and their families when they lose or change jobs.

Title Two of the law, also known as the Administrative Simplification Provisions, created national standards for electronic-based health care transactions and national identifiers for health insurance plans, employers and medical providers. This aims to prevent health care abuse and fraud and provides a platform for administrative simplification and medical liability reform.

Title Three of the law deals with tax related provisions that govern medical savings accounts. It standardizes the amount that a person is allowed to save in their pre-medical savings account.

The law’s fourth title specifies conditions for group health plans that cover people who have a pre-existing condition. It also provides clarification regarding continuation coverage requirements including COBRA.

Title Five contains provisions that are related to company-provided life insurance. It also prohibits the tax reduction of interest on company endowments and life insurance loans or contracts.

Reasons to comply with this Law

There are a number of reasons why people and businesses alike should start complying with this law. HIPAA Omnibus Rule has substantially increased civil penalties for non-compliance. The penalty cap for any violations was increased from $25,000 annually to $1,500,000 per violation.

Aside from that, willfully failing or ignoring to be compliant brings mandatory penalties, and investigations can be started by any discovered violation, breach or complaint.

• New Breach Notification Rules

HIPAA rules and regulations now contain new breach notification rules that will increase the quantity of HIPAA violations determined to be breaches. The Omnibus rule has expanded the definition of a breach and the failure consequences. Federal investigations can be triggered when proper notification has been provided.


• The Law is Getting Stricter

States are steadily getting more involved in HIPAA enforcement. Failure to comply with HIPAA means feeling the full force of the law. Aside from that, the Office of Civil Rights, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, is expanding its Division of Health Information Privacy Information Team. It is stepping up the implementation of HIPAA compliance activities.

• Maintains a Company’s Reputation

Complying with this law helps health service providers avoid the HIPAA Wall of Shame. The list of reported major breaches and substantial penalties is growing at a rapid rate.

What is worse is that the details of these breaches are widely available to the general public and reported in the media. The consequences of a data breach can include more than just criminal and civil penalties. They can also damage a company’s reputation.

The Bottom Line

Companies face important obligations under HIPAA. If a company provides services as a health care entity and has not begun the process of implementing a compliance program, the time to take action is now. Although maintaining and achieving compliance is a challenge, a company that fails to act may find that overcoming the consequences of non-compliance presents an even greater challenge.

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Choosing HIPAA Compliance Software

Choosing HIPAA compliant software for your business in the healthcare industry is a must. HIPAA regulations can be complicated. The right software simplifies becoming compliant while also assisting you in managing your business by offering training and educational materials for staff. Whether you are an Business Associate in need of HIPAA compliance software or a Covered Entity, you will need to begin by looking at the features that will make operating your business within the current guidelines straightforward.

Features to choose



internal auditing is one of the most important features to look for when choosing HIPAA compliance software. Internal auditing allows you to assess your current methods and procedures for handling sensitive patient information and offers gap remediation that can be implemented within the workplace as needed to meet standard set by HIPAA regulations. HIPAA software should also be user-friendly. The laws and regulations may be complex but the software that you use should be accessible and easy to understand. 

Features such as HIPAA checklists, for example, are available to ensure you are following your plan toward HIPAA compliance. Data backup and emergency operation features are also important for businesses. These features allow you to access and secure patient health information even when you are experiencing problems with your system in the office. Opting for HIPAA software that is backed by customer support is ideal for organizations and entities when there is an issue with your internal electronics systems.

Affordable and Effective

The goal of HIPAA software is reaching compliance but there are also some other advantages for your organization. Internal auditing and included client support can both work to save your business from incredibly expensive outside audits and services. With the right HIPAA compliance software, your organization will be able to handle all aspects of becoming compliant with one simple program.

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The Important of Risk Assessment Tracking and Proof of Efforts

Meaningful use stage two is an important way for healthcare providers too ensures patients receive the best care. Meaningful Use Stage 2 utilizes many of the healthcare initiatives beginning with stage one, but includes some important updates that you will want to know about. Tracking and recording are vital when you are want to provide proof of risk assessments in a hospital or other medical establishment in order to qualify for incentive payments.

Getting Started

You will need to develop a solid, clear plan for tracking and recording risk assessment in order to reach meaningful use standards. Your staff should be aware of any new processes that will be implemented, which processes will be stopped and how long the new practices will be used in the workplace. Offering a training seminar can be an ideal solution to training staff in new recording and tracking methods used by your organization.

Why is Tracking and Recording Important?

The goal of meaningful use stage two is to provide electronic medical records that are accurate, up to date and relevant to the care of patients. The ability to prove that you have use established risk assessment guidelines according to the meaningful use regulations is vital when working with Medicaid and Medicare clients. Your organization will need to use EHRs, or electronic health records, to meet specific goals in order to qualify for state funded incentives. You can satisfy the need for proof by using the EHRs according to regulations and working with your local Regional Extension Center.

The goals of meaningful use are designed to provide a more comprehensive health care system to the public. One of the goals is to share more information with patients to promote a better understanding of medical conditions and treatments. You will need to supply proof that you have been utilizing the EHRs to achieve meaningful use stage two guidelines. Your local Regional Extension Center representative can help you get started on implementing the guidelines in your organization and assist you with learning more about the measures that are used to prove that the guidelines have been used.

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HIPAA Disclosure Documentation

Prior to the establishment of HIPAA Policies and Procedures, no federal regulations existed that required any type of tracking system to account for the release of information.  Now, however, based on the HIPAAprivacy rule, as explained in the Omnibus final rule, covered entities must track protected health information that has been disclosed.  This was instituted to allow an individual to receive an accounting of disclosures for the six years preceding their request.  In order to comply with this regulation, covered entities must have a tracking system in place.

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The HIPAA Omnibus Rule

HIPAA rules and regulations were significantly updated and more clearly defined through the passage of the HIPAA Omnibus Rule, also known as the HIPAA final rule.  The final rule bolsters the privacy and security rules for protected health information established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

As of January 27, 2013, this overhauled version of the HIPAA compliance laws were put into place, giving the HITECH act more teeth in terms of imposing consequences for failure to comply with HIPAA.  The Omnibus Rule was intended to better protect patient privacy through additional regulations and by implementing audits with associated fines for being found negligent in complying with HIPAA regulations.

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