by Olivia Wann, JD As we approach the end of the year, please be sure your entire team has satisfied continuing education (CE) requirements. The Board of Dentistry requires strict compliance. Additionally, verify that the dental licenses are current. Failure to maintain a current license is a costly mistake that has a negative impact on…

by Jodie Cannon, BS, HIPAA Consultant Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) are a very important requirement of HIPAA compliance and should not be overlooked.  Organizations have gotten into trouble because of lack of a BAA and Business Associates (BAs) are quite often the source of breaches.  This tip is written from the point of view of…

by Jodie Cannon, BS Many people believe that a HIPAA breach automatically leads to investigations and fines.  This is not necessarily the case. The purpose of the HIPAA Security Rule and the goal of HIPAA compliance is to position your organization to minimize the chance of a breach and to properly deal with a breach…

By Jodie Cannon, BS This article provides useful tips for HIPAA security officers. As a HIPAA security officer, you can divide your list of tasks into two categories: “ad-hoc” tasks and maintenance tasks. Examples of dealing with “ad-hoc” tasks include remediating gaps identified on a Risk Assessment and dealing with a security incident. There are…

Calm down. Breathe. The key to having confidence in your compliance program is preparation. This article is designed to help you prepare for an OSHA visit. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. Tennessee OSHA is an agency of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce…

Effective October 1, 2017, all dentists licensed in Tennessee will be subject to a random OSHA inspection. This is part of the Local Emphasis Program. According to OSHA, they analyzed data collected over a 10-year period. The results indicate that 319 serious hazards were identified with an average of 11.8 per facility. The Local Emphasis…

Millions of dollars are spent on costly HIPAA settlements due to violations and a lack of compliance.  Overlooking risk can result in a security breach.   Covered entities are required to not only make a security risk assessment to safeguard the electronic protected health information (ePHI) but also to act on those assessments.  This article…

Keep it Real: How to Avoid HIPAA Marketing Scams By Olivia Wann, JD Has your dental office received a phone call stating the following: “My name is XX. I’m calling your office today to conduct your mandatory HIPAA Security Risk Assessment that’s required by the Department of Health and Human Services…” Our office has received…

We have received a number of support calls from dental offices regarding the Section 1557 compliance. If you accept Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and/or received funding under the HITECH Act, please read this letter carefully. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act protects individuals from discrimination in health care based on race, color, national origin, age, disability…