3 min read

Releasing information in healthcare: Who, what, when, where & why

Tshedimoso Makhene: Jan 8, 2025 6:53:36 AM

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) imposes stringent confidentiality regulations on medical professionals. However,...

2 min read

Understanding the protections against disability-based discrimination

In 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) reinforced protections against disability-based...

3 min read

Confidentiality for substance use disorder records

This year, the HHS Office for Civil Rights began reinforcing regulations outlined in 42 CFR Part 2, which strengthens the protection of substance use...

4 min read

The use of ChatGPT in healthcare

Kirsten Peremore: Jan 6, 2025 11:00:36 AM

2 min read

Are healthcare lawyers considered business associates under HIPAA?

Tshedimoso Makhene: Jan 6, 2025 3:27:03 AM

Determining whether a healthcare lawyer is a business associate under HIPAA is context-dependent. The key consideration is whether their services...

2 min read

Can authorization be verbal?

Tshedimoso Makhene: Jan 4, 2025 2:06:10 PM

Verbal authorization can be valid in healthcare under specific circumstances, but it depends on the context, the type of information being disclosed,...

3 min read

Does HIPAA end when life does?

Farah Amod: Jan 4, 2025 1:18:58 PM

Many assume privacy concerns end with death, but HIPAA protections continue to apply. The confidentiality of medical records remains important for...

3 min read

The 7 HIPAA compliance rules for covered entities

Farah Amod: Jan 1, 2025 1:05:10 PM

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “Individuals, organizations, and agencies that meet the definition of a covered...

3 min read

Is a BAA required for incidental contact with PHI?

Farah Amod: Dec 31, 2024 12:30:23 PM

In healthcare, protecting patient information is mandatory, and HIPAA sets specific guidelines to ensure that protected health information (PHI)...

2 min read

What is the time limit for PHI requests according to HIPAA?

Kirsten Peremore: Dec 30, 2024 6:35:54 PM

HIPAA requires healthcare providers to respond to a patient’s request for access to their protected health information (PHI) within a specific...

3 min read

A list of HIPAA compliant cloud-based data centers

Kapua Iao: Dec 30, 2024 5:52:49 PM

Healthcare organizations increasingly utilize cloud-based data centers to handle, house, and organize medical files. Given the information included...

1 min read

Can you sell PHI?

Tshedimoso Makhene: Dec 30, 2024 4:31:22 PM

Selling protected health information (PHI) is a sensitive topic that has legal, ethical, and practical concerns. Under the Health Insurance...

2 min read

Do the HIPAA Privacy Rule protections apply to deceased individuals?

Liyanda Tembani: Dec 30, 2024 11:50:38 AM

Yes, the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the health information of deceased individuals for 50 years following their death. During this time, their...